Say “Hello” to part of my ugly sofa.  We bought this sectional in Virginia in May of 2010 before we moved into our brand new apartment.  I love this sectional.  It is yellow.  It is roomy (seats 6).  It is bouncy (just ask the grand kids).  It is comfy.  BUT … since it has been through grand kids in two states and of various ages;  several Christmas open houses; family dinners and Easter get togethers, it is more than ready for a makeover.  After drooling over $50 a yard fabrics at the fabric/craft stores, it was beyond my budget.  Until one day when my friend, Joanne, advised me to pay a visit to Sas Fabric store.  I had seen this store before, but figured it was more for able body seamstresses who knew what they were doing.  So I took Joanne’s advice and headed down to Sas Fabrics.  I found an amazing assortments of all types and colors and textures of fabrics at a fraction of the price at the other fabric/craft stores.  Fabric that originally would sell for 38.99 per yard, was priced at 4.99.  I took the fifteen yards they had left, figuring I would need at least 12 yards.  $75 to cover the base parts of both pieces of the sectional was right up my alley.  I will worry about getting complimentary fabric for the twelve cushions later.

Nice, new pale yellow with tiny squares of a soft sage color upholstery fabric in hand, I begin to formulate my plan.  I set the fabric aside for several days, waiting to make my first move.  Just not sure what that first move will be.

I removed all the back and seat cushions from both pieces of the sectional, tip them both over so that I am looking at the bottom of the sofa. I draped the fabric over the large piece, leaving about 3 feet of fabric hanging on each side and then do the same to the other piece. Since the backs are just flat, I think that would be the best place to start.

Trusty staple gun in hand, I attach the fabric to the bottom underneath and staple away.

So far, so good! With a quick flip of the sofas to their upright positions, I pull the fabric over the top and down to the seat, leaving about 4 inches to play with adhering the fabric to the front piece of the sofa that will be the backboard to the cushions. I cover the tailored skirt with the new fabric using the double-sided fusing. This also added a nice weight. I was careful to cover the entire strip underneath the skirts first, so that if/when a piece of the skirt was moved, I would still see the new fabric and not the old stuff. Yes, I am a bit OCD about things like that.

The upper corners are not finished – but the back is!

Look at the skirt – not the yucky cushions!

Of course, nothing beats working with a noteworthy assistant.  Not too handy with the tools, but the face is to die for.