If you are thinking of having covers made to be dyed to any colour you like there are a number of things you can do to make sure this will be successful.

 

1. Choose a good quality 100% cotton fabric with a conventional firm weave and preferably undyed or at least in the lightest shade available. Insist that your fabric is all from one batch, better still all from one roll.

 

2. Choose an untreated fabric ie. no fire retardant finish.

 

3. Even if the fabric supplier claims the fabric is pre-shrunk it is a good idea to really make sure by ideally cutting the fabric into suitable lengths overlocking the edges and then wash the pieces in a very hot wash and then tumble dry them. This will remove most of any potential shrinkage. You can also test the shrinkage by cutting a piece say 50cms square exactly then washing it as described. This will then give you the percentage of shrinkage for length and width and you can add these percentages to the cutting patterns. Washing all of the fabric before cutting your sofa covers is the best solution.

 

4. Now you have pre-shrunk fabric still cut the covers a tiny bit on the generous side especially for the base cover itself which has to fit over solid parts of the furniture whereas the cushion covers are only stuffed with soft filling. This will ensure minimum stress on the seams and they will last a very long time.

 

5. Sew the pieces together using a strong 100% cotton thread as this will dye the same shade as the covers. If you use polyester thread it will not dye. This is not too much of a problem as most seams are well hidden on sofa covers but we are talking here of building the ideal sofa covers.

 

6. The seams must not be skimped. All cut or raw edges must be overlocked and the lockstitching should use plenty of stitches to the inch for security and preferably 2 rows of lockstitching. If you could cover the seams with a binding so much the better. This would further protect the seams from any fraying.

 

7. Use neutral coloured good quality zips of a medium shade. The tape on zips will not dye.

 

8. Keep an extra length of the fabric which you can have dyed at the same time to use to repair any accidental damage to your sofa. 

 

9. Consider making some spare parts at the same time even if it is only armcaps.

 

10. As an alternative to hot washing lengths of fabric and then dyeing the finished covers you could also consider cutting your fabric into suitable lengths ie. 2.5 meters maximum and we could dye the pieces for you. This way it is also pre-shrunk and you then make up your covers using standard making techniques. As an investment we would still advise ensuring the seams are high quality and that the maker understands you want the covers to be machine washable. We use the highest quality dyestuffs which achieve the best levels of light and washfastness.

 

Hope you find this information useful and we are always happy to advise if you contact us.

 

If you can do all of these things you will have sofa covers which should last for many years, withstand many washes and will be capable of being redyed every few years as you wish to change your decor or simply freshen them up.