Blog - Page 28 of 107 - Slipcovers by Shelley

Floral Chair

November 13, 2013 by Shelley

My client had her last slipcover (white) for 10 yrs…she thought it was time to do something fun. This is “her” chair that she sits in every night.

Chair–before muslin covered

Chair–AFTER–she decided she wanted the pink flowers to be centered on the back.

There was quite a bit of matching involved, but it all went smoothly.

She decided on no skirt… to mix it up. Her last one had a skirt.

The repeat flowed perfectly down the front of the chair.

Her whole room…we did a few pillows for the couch out of the extras.

SIDE NOTE…We finally are done! The handrail got installed last week.

BEFORE DURING

AFTER!

Grey Tweed Sectional

November 5, 2013 by Shelley

BEFORE—Large cream sectional that was showing a little wear.

AFTER–My client purchased a grey tweed type fabric (50 yds). Love the darker color in this room!

She also had me make 4 IKAT pillows to mix in with her other pillows.

It was a large 4 piece armless sectional with an ottoman.

We added a skirt and piping to give it a different look from the original.

Her husband was thrilled with it. Usually the husbands are indifferent–but he LOVED it as much as she did.

This pillow fabric was amazing!

Close up of the textured gray fabric.

SIDE NOTE—MY NEW STAIRS!

BEFORE—wall and carpeted, nasty stairs

AFTER—More open floor plan– we opened up that wall that was bedroom and made it our office off the front room. We are still working on getting the balusters and handrail installed, but I wanted to show it off anyways!

We moved into our house 14 years ago–as newly weds. Our house has had to keep keep changing with the needs of our family. We finished the bonus room when we needed a family room. We finished the basement when we were pregnant with our 3rd baby and I wanted a finished work room. We took out a kitchen wall and added a bar to entertain and have more space. When my business grew, we converted our garage to my new work studio…

HERE was my current problem—all the kids would hang out around the bar on the computer crowding my tiny front room/ kitchen area. Here’s the ironic part–we had 2 bedrooms on the main floor that weren’t EVER used (guest room and a “office”). I decided to put one to use.

It was a late summer evening and we’ve been talking about this project for awhile–a few other families were hanging out with us on our front porch, we decided to get started. The kids had a blast!

In progress–from the office side

Now the kids have a spot!

It felt AMAZING that next morning! I LOVED it!

Our boys helped remove the carpet and tack strips…for $ of course!

AFTER—We installed the hardwood stairs ourselves. I bought the treads and risers from Stair-treads.com and stained and polyeurethened them ourselves. Here’s their instructional video for installing. If you are redoing your stairs buy this tool for $20 from Home Depot! It makes your cuts look like magic and fit like a glove.

We did hire a handy man to patch the sheet rock and set the newell posts and install the trim since there were crazy angles we didn’t feel comfortable doing it. Totally worth the money! Then Heber was awesome and repainted the whole ceiling and painted the stripes back to the right of the door.

“Whole 9 Yards”–Starting and Running a Successful Slipcover Business

October 24, 2013 by Shelley

Have you been making slipcovers for yourself, friends, and family… and now you want to venture out and make it a business? I have been running my own slipcover business for the past 13 years…and in the process I have learned a few things…

In this 23 page PDF instant download, I share info on the following….

-Legal Stuff (DBA, Tax ID, Business license)

-Tax info (what to keep track of)

-Accounting

-Payment info

-Words of Advice

-How to Network

-How to do Onsite Fittings

-Equipment and Tools

-Hiring Help and How Much I Pay

-Office Stuff (scheduling, calendar, wait list, etc)

-Pricing and Yardage

-Photography Tips

-How to Order supplies (zippers, piping, down cushions)

-List of Suppliers (zippers, piping, down cushions, fabric)

My slipcover business has been a HUGE blessing to me and my family. I love being creative and found out I have a HUGE passion for decorating and fabrics. It is such a part of me! It’s my talent…it’s my thing. It’s what gets me excited!

The extra $ has enabled us to become debt free including our home and cabin. I never would have envisioned 13 yrs ago, when I showed up to my first onsite fitting with my 3 month old baby in tow what my business would flourish into! At the time, I was just trying to do my part to make ends meet. I went from full-time work to part-time as an assistant manager at Bath and Body Works after I had my baby. Things were TIGHT!!! After slipcovering on the side for the 1st year of my baby’s life, I took the leap of faith and quit my job and have never looked back!

I love being my own boss, and making my own schedule, and being in control of how many trips I want to take. Yes, it’s a challenge to stay balanced at times and meet client deadlines, but I would never go back! The pay is WAY better and the satisfaction of turning an old piece into something beautiful is much more rewarding. I love what I do!