Adult Life, Mess, and Soft Furnishings

A year ago I bought a velvet sofa and a long-held dream was finally achieved.

However, I was terrified to sit on it-- so true. This was justified as I'd already spilled on the homemade quilt I was using to protect it. Luckily, that was easily laundered, whereas it would not have been easy to clean the velvet upholstery. 

A chance pin on Pinterest revealed a solution: a sofa pad in a homey cottage style. This is what I needed -- pretty protection.

Etsy

W Concept

I tried to find a similar fabric to the inspiration but nothing was close. I had it in my mind that I wanted a small black-and-white check or a black-striped cotton ticking.

I also loved the idea of gingham but needed a fabric that could stand up to the extreme lounging happening on this piece of furniture. When those fabrics didn't materialize at Joann, I turned to finding a complementary heavier canvas fabric that would work in the space. Using my handy West Elm Tarragon velvet swatch I located a green canvas that almost matched and complemented the upholstery. I have a lot of luck with this particular shade of green.

Richloom Fiera Apple cotton canvas

How it came together:

Using the dimensions of my 76" Harris sofa bench cushion I knew I needed a cushion at least 66" x 22".  Pre-made ones were normally at least 72" which is more than the length of the cushion I need. Luckily, if using a 44/45" wide fabric that meant I could buy for the length (nearly 2 yards) and simply fold it in half lengthwise and stitch three sides. Easy-peasy!

 

Also lucky for me, when I moved I purchased 1/8" thick furniture pads from U-Haul and had six of them to store or give away. What if I cut one up to use as batting? 

When playing around with it I realized when folded over and over again into four layers one pad fit the needed dimensions almost perfectly. I only needed to cut an inch off the length to account for the seam allowances on the cushion cover.

 

To make the padding stable when inside the cover, I basted through the layers on at least two sides to eliminate it migrating once enclosed. 

On the canvas I stitched from the short side around to the other end and sewed an inch into that side. I made sure to reinforce all the corners and the ending point. I pressed my seams open, clipped the corners, and while holding a corner of the moving pad between my fingers with the open corner of the cover I turned the cushion inside out while inserting the cushion inside. Using quilting safety pins I secured the pad at one end and manipulated the rest to fill out the cushion evenly. Once turned, I pinned the other end to keep the pad in place for the next part.

  

The last step was stitching the open end closed. I had originally thought I would tuft the cushion like the inspirations above but decided against it. This will allow removal for laundering. Knowing me, I will need to do that for sure. It will also work as a protective "mattress topper" for when guests sleep over. Without the back cushions on the sofa makes a comfortable bed.

Thanks to this project I feel secure in knowing that my sofa will survive living with me and look great while doing it!

Update: Months later, searching for examples of sofa toppers, I discovered that West Elm had the exact product (they call it a sofa overlay) I was looking to make! Funny. Though of course their version only fit their larger sofas at 84" x23" and cost $130. But its the same idea and it's for one of their sofas.

West Elm Reversible Sofa Overlay

First Things First - The Dream Achieved

Note: These home posts are a year late, but better later than never, right?

What was the first thing I did after I signed the papers and got my keys to my new home?

I went to the West Elm website and ordered my dream green velvet sofa; the Harris sofa in Tarragon Astor Velvet.

Harris sofa

Once I realized I could afford a home I knew I should finally purchase a "real" sofa. The last few decades I had first lived with a basic futon loveseat and then spent far too long on a two-seater sofa handed down from a friend who bought it from Goodwill. Who knows how old that thing truly was? Despite how it looked upholstery-wise it was in good shape and the coils were in shape. For many years I had a dream to reupholster it, but that never happened. Overall, it was hard to feel like an adult with those things. 

I deserved to get what I wanted and could finally afford to buy new. Now, of course, I'm still frugal but I wanted to up my game quite a bit. The companies I researched were Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, CB2, RH (fka Restoration Hardware), West Elm, and Target. 

The most important factor was who had the right style in the right shade of green? Many had similar styles, but the green velvet factor was key. I chose national brands with nearby storefronts because I needed to see and feel the product via a visit or fabric swatches in the mail. A purely online purchase wouldn't work, there is too much margin for error.

I also needed a fabric that was hard wearing. That is this velvet which is also luminous and wonderfully light reflecting. I'm still in love with it as much as I was when it arrived almost a year ago.

My inspiration was the 1930s style of a classic Jean-Michel Frank's club sofa. I believe I achieved that in an incredibly luscious green velvet that appears to change color during the day and throughout the seasons.

Here it is early in my home owner journey.

More updates to come...