Slipcover Summit Hickory N.C.

[kimel]

Hi everyone. I've been asked to spread the word to my fellow upholsterers about this event. Some of you may offer slipcovers, or may be thinking of it. Anyway - it's a great opportunity to learn something new:

This year's Slipcover Summit is shaping up to be the best ever! Held in Hickory, NC at the Hickory Furniture Mart. Register today at: http://www.slipcoversummit.com Bring a friend and get 10% off classes!

The only event of its type in the country totally devoted to the art and profession of making slipcovers for furniture. We hope you will join us for these few days in June to expand your horizons, to network, and grow.

Open to everyone!

I'll be teaching the "Sew up a cushion cover FAST" class, and of course, the famous Karen Erickson of Slipcover America will be teaching her "Basic Slipcover Method" and there are many more classes suited to different experience levels - visit the website to see a list of classes offered.

The Slipcover Summit is a retreat style event. Dress casually, but appropriately to be in public. We want you to be relaxed, worry free, comfortable, so you can learn, and absorb as much as possible in each workshop you attend.

[gene]

I was a bit remiss in not replying to this topic when it first came out.

I asked my wife a month or so ago, when I got their email, about going to NC in June where she has a relative and I could attend some of these classes. It will not work out this year for me, but I do believe that if you are doing slip covers, or want to get into it, these are the only classes around that do what they do..

Several years ago they were in Indiana and I had hoped to make it then, but it was not to be. Someday

I've also bought several of their videos in the past.

I am currently working of 6 dining room chair seat slip covers that have pleated skirts. I use the techniques I learned from these folks.

Income is income. It's also nice to occasional have a break from regular upholstery work.

gene

[bobbin]

I've been toying with this, too.  I am largely self-taught (a ton of clothing alteration experience, several excellent books, and a generally fussy "eye") but would love to attend some of the classes and "talk shop" with people who do slipcovers, too. 

Trouble is, it's a pretty long way for me and it's the height of "busy season" in marine canvas and awning work.  I don't think I'll be able to wrest myself from commitments here.    :(

[gene]

A pic is worth...

Here's my dining room slip seat covers. 4 side chairs and 2 arm chairs.

"http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/DSCF2405.jpg";



gene

[sofadoc]

Nice work Gene. How do you anchor them?

[bobbin]

Those do look really nice, Gene. 

I would secure those in place with a flap and velcro underneath, or maybe a couple of adjustable straps/clips, maybe with some rugged elastic.  I'd like to know what you opted for, too, Gene. 

[baileyuph]

Gene,

How much time did you spend doing those six covers?  How did you attach them?

They would have to be pretty secure, otherwise........

Yes, flats with velcro would probably work, provided the flaps were attached to be as wide as possible.

I remember the parsons chairs, the covered legs, to justify my time, the charges mounted significantly on those.  Plus they took more material.

Always something to be different, huh?

Doyle

[bobbin]

Doyle,
When I used the flap idea on two "Martha Washington" chairs in my own shop I made flaps that nearly spanned the spaces between the legs.  I used 2" velcro and spent some time shaping the flaps so they could be pulled taut and really "snug down" the slipcover. 

I was surprised at how fussy they were to make; the idea seemed a lot simpler than it really turned out to be.  But they work!

[sofadoc]

I was surprised at how fussy they were to make; the idea seemed a lot simpler than it really turned out to be.

"Flaps, and straps
With Vel-cro and snaps
Have 1 thing in common.....
They're all money traps!"

They can easily double the assembly time for a simple cushion or cover.

I've made no secret about my utter dislike for doing slip covers.
Given that I'd sooner have a root canal with no Novocaine, I shan't be attending the summit. ;D

[bobbin]

It's interesting, Sofa., that when you work in the marine field you deal with flaps, snaps, velcro, and all manner of little plastic doo-hickeys to fasten things in place.  It's not that way with upholstery or slipcovers... usually!  I opted for the flaps under the the chair because I wanted the slip. to retain the clean, trim appearance of the the original upholstery. 

As I said, I was surprised at the amount of fiddling required to get the flaps to work the way I wanted them to and not be visible!

[sofadoc]

Some of the pics that Bobbin and Gene, and others have posted of slip cover jobs have certainly changed the way that I view them.
If you take the time to properly anchor them, they can look as good as a complete reupholstery job. I've seen too many loose floppy ones that have to be re-tucked every time you get up. Of course, some customers like the loose floppy look. I'm afraid that I would "beat myself up" fiddling with it trying to get a more tightly tailored look. And as I've stated before, people around here have the misconception that a slip cover is a low-cost alternative to reupholstering. And they think that they can throw it in the washing machine as often as the bedsheets.
But as long as you guys can command a fair labor price for your time, I applaud you.

[gene]

These were originally going to have tie backs but I choose to go with twist pins - those pig tail things with plastic heads on them.

I don't think they will need the twist pins, though, but I'll give them to the customer in case they want them. There is a skirt on the back between the back rails. They are custom fitted so I don't think they will slide off when people get up from them.

I chose not to do tie backs because they did not look good with the skirt. I did have a bit of leverage to choose what would work best. I did consider velcro but I didn't think it was needed.

Doing high end custom fit slipcovers is a niche market. Not a lot of business, but when folks want the best, it's nice to give it to them. Walmart and the internet will never be a competitor.

Thank you for the kind comments.

gene

[baileyuph]

Slips were very popular when I was young, some had a set for every season and when a set was out of season it usually went to the cleaners to be ready for its turn again.

Slips were actually a requirement for an upholstery certification from the school I got mine from.  In a good shop layout, I liked doing them because it didn't require so much tack and/or staple pulling, and the work is a lot cleaner.  The slip training actually was a good background for making auto seat covers. 

Bobbin - doing the dust cover out of fuzzy material sure takes away any constraints of where to put the velcro component with teeth, more latitude.

On the technical side, all furniture does not qualify for a slip, the geometry and style can make it time consuming to deliver a nice fitting item.

Like anything, the more you do the job gets easier.

Doyle

[bobbin]

Actually, Doyle, what surprised me about "fitting" the flaps was the result of my ignorance of upholstery! and the fact that I didn't spend much time thinking about the underside of an upholstered chair (duh).

I was stuck in the marine mind-set where the flap was "square" and coupled with an equally "square" mate.  Had I really thought about it I'd have understood that the flaps couldn't be "square" because the underside of a fully sprung deck is anything but square (it can't be), lol.  There is a "belly" when you spend some time thinking about it! so my flaps had to be contoured to accomodate it and that requires some fiddling around to get it right and then figure out how much to "tighten" up the velcro placement to allow "snugging" of the slipcover.  Now that I know that I've been able to adjust my perspective and make allowances for the time required to do the flaps the way I want them. 

I think I turned that particular chair over about 10 times before I finally "got it".  What really struck me about the exercise was how similar it was to fitting clothing  Which, in the final analysis, is precisely what a slipcover is!  And it's why I enjoy doing them. 

[baileyuph]

Yes, excellent points Bobbin.  Nothing is real hard if you know the right answer.  I don't mind slips, I usually make them everyday in some for or another.  I had a seat off a very high tech John Deere piece of equipment, over $200,000 I was told and slip techniques were essential to matching and exceeding factory fitting and quality standards. 

One cannot know too much in our business and the point has to be understood that the shop quality will be long lasting and the bitterness of the immediate price for a top notch job will be short lasting. 

No one is sad they bought a nice Mercedes but can that always be heard about a el cheap O something?  Not always, like something nice.  There are variances to all stories, opinions, and comments, so save your ink.

;)

This is my story and I am sticking to it. ;)

Doyle