How do you know when to have a Slipcover or have the furniture Re-Upholstered? This power point was used during a workshop in DC for those in the Industry at IWCE.

1. To Slipcover or
to Re-upholster
What’s the Difference?
Does it Really Matter?

2. Why Re-upholster?
good shape
on the inside
and all it
needs is a
fresh new
fabric on the
outside

3. Good Frame
good frames don't wear
out
made of hardwood -
oak, maple, ash, alder
or mahogany
these woods are strong
and enduring and the
upholsterer can tell
them by their weight

4. Lumpy or frayed
lumpy old sofa
frayed chair that's
beginning to shed its
stuffing
take another look before
dismissing it as a quot;has been”

5. Needs work on the
inside:
new webbing
re-tied springs
new fillings
re-cushioning

6. Antique with wood or tufted

7. Curved furniture such as barrels or tub chairs

8. Recliners
Reclining sofas

9. To re-upholster is to
replace the attached fabric covering on furniture

10. Why Slipcover?
Update a worn looking sofa

11. Seasonal change

12. Easy to remove to clean

13. Change the style from one to another

14. Tufted, frayed or
lumpy can be
wrapped with an
undergarment

16. Chaise with partial Undergarmet

17. Antique wood furniture

18. Chair in her
underwear
prior to
slipcovering

19. Dining room chairs with an Undergarmet
Slipcovers Susan Day

20. Recliners
depending on the
chair and the
fabric

21. Recliner after
Done by a student

22. Barrel or tub furniture

23. Sleeper sofas
Pull out bed without
removing the slipcover

24. Protect from
high traffic
or wear to
the furniture
teenagers animals
young children

25. Lets Compare
Re-upholstery Slipcovers
 Needs a fresh new fabric Needs a fresh new fabric on the
on the outside outside
 Can fix on the inside Cannot fix the inside
 Good frame consider re- Good or bad frame can still be
upholstery slipcovered.
 Frayed or lumpy
Some frayed of lumpy can be
 Antique wood furniture slipcovered wrapped in an under
 Tufted furniture garment
 Some curved furniture Antiquewood furniture some of
such as barrel or tub the wood will be covered
 some recliners Tufted will be covered, but
 Permanent change slipcover can be mock tufted
attached to the furniture Some curved or barrel furniture
depends of the fabric chosen
Some recliners
Removable for cleaning or
change of season or style

26. Yardage
Slipcovers usually use
2 – 2 ½ yds more than a
re-upholstered item
Want to sell more fabric?

27. What are the best
fabrics for a Slipcover?

28. The Best Fabric is……
?
Whatever meets
your customers
needs…
That Need IS
?

29. What is the Manufactures
usual recommendation for
cleaning fabric?
Dry Clean Only
Why?

30. Can all Fabrics be Washed?
How would you know
?
How would you find out
?

31. Test…Test…Test…
½ yd of Cut into 3
fabric equal
sections
How will What are
you test? you
looking
for?

32. Who will Wash the Fabric?
Workroom
Client
Laundry

33. Can 18 yds of Fabric be Washed
as 1 piece in a Washer?
YES
NO

34. Instructions for Washing Fabric
Cut into Serge the edges Wash in the same
3yd (108”) or only if the fabric manner from the
4yd (144”) will unravel while results of the
washing. testing that was
Pieces. done.
Fabric must be Dry according to Some fabrics
totally saturated. result of the such as cotton
Front loading tests. Refrain may need to be
home washers from using dryer washed more
may not meet sheet they are than once to
this need. Big toxic to the shrink complet-
Boy at the laund- environment. ly.
ermat work well.

35. Alternative to Dryer Sheets
 Dryer Balls
Designed to reduce drying
time and soften fabrics
without the use of chemical
fabric softeners, Dryer Balls
are an eco-friendly solution to
landfill-clogging dryer sheets
and chemical-laden liquid
softeners.
 As your wet laundry tumbles
in the dryer, these bumpy
balls lift and separate fabric
to make it soft and fluffy, and
allow air to flow more Go to:
efficiently — proven to make www.recyclewithkbkathome.co
ironing easier, decrease lint m/recycled-products.html
and reduce drying time up to
25% in independent testing.
Then click on Eco-Living at
Gaiam

36. Dry Cleaners
If we do not want to
wash a fabric then
our alternative is to
vacuum the
furniture or to
Dry Clean.
What do we know
about Dry Cleaning?

37. 30,000 dry cleaning facilities
 There are over 30,000 dry cleaning
facilities for you to choose from in the
United States, but 95 percent of them
use the toxic chemical
perchloroethylene (perc) as the
primary cleaning solvent.
 Exposure to perc is a significant risk to
the workers who dry clean the
clothes, and it's also a health risk to
you and the loved ones who share
your home. Once you get the dry-
cleaned clothes home, they continue
to off-gas perc into the air in your
abode.

38.  The National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences states that: quot;Short-term
exposure to PERC can cause adverse health
effects on the nervous system that include
dizziness, fatigue, headaches, sweating, in
coordination, and unconsciousness.
 Long-term exposure can cause liver and
kidney damage.quot; The International
Association for Research on Cancer
classifies perc as a probable carcinogen.
 Fortunately,
there are healthier (and
greener) dry-cleaning alternatives.

39. Industry Trends
 The demand for environmentally safe products has
increased in recent years as a result of government
regulations and greater consumer awareness of
environmental issues.
Wet Cleaning
This is a system that uses biodegradable soap and water.
Computer-controlled dryers and stretching machines ensure
that the fabric retains its natural size and shape.
Wet cleaning can purportedly clean 99.9% of quot;dry clean onlyquot;
garments safely, including leather; suede; most tailored
woolens, silks and rayon's. (Neckties seem to be the one
exception.)

40. Silicone and Liquid CO2 Solvents
 Relatively new approaches to dry cleaning have been developed
based on both liquid carbon dioxide (usually obtained as a
recycled byproduct of other industrial processes) and silicone.
Dry cleaners using these solvents are currently few in number.
Alternative Petroleum Solvents
 This is more like standard dry cleaning, but the processes use
alternative hydrocarbon solvents such as Exxon D-2000 or
Chevron-Phillips' EcoSolv.
Check with cleaners in your area—at least one is likely to offer
perc-free cleaning services.
www.GreenEarthCleaning.com is a good place to start.
For more information about Dry Cleaning
http://recyclewithkbkathome.blogspot.com/search?q=dry+cleani
ng

41. What do you think
we should do
with the following pieces
of furniture?

46. Help…….

49. More Slipcovers

55. Waterfall Mock Box Pleated

56. Scalloped Skirt

57. Overlap Skirt

58. Poodle Skirt

59. Dressmaker Waterfall Skirt
Knife edge cushion on seat

60. Banded Self Faced Skirt

61. Mock Boxed Pleated Skirt

62. Triangle Skirt

63. Resources
 http://science.howstuffworks.com/dry-cleaning.htm
 http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/environmental/20
0603percholorethylene-pt2.html
 http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/02-10/dry-cleaning-
alternatives-eco.htm
 http://www.rogards.com/ugly
 http://www.norwoodmall.com/ugly

64.  Karen Erickson
 www.slipcovernetwork.com
 slipcovernetwork@gmail.com
 800-267-4958
 Directory of Slipcover Professionals
 Slipcover Press Quarterly Publication
 Slipcover Summit 2007 Boston (Waltham)
Annual educational opportunity for Slipcover
Professionals.