Fitting a slipcover in a client's home!

Sometimes we actually fit a slipcover to a piece of furniture in the customer's home. This is the case with a customer on nearby Lookout Mountain this week. This small loveseat won't be coming to us in the studio as usual, but I will travel on site to "chalk" a pattern.
There are many reasons we do this, but the most common reason is size and bulk of a piece. If we are slipcovering a large antique sofa that feels like it is made of lead, it is wonderful to be able to leave the piece in place during the process. A couple of reasons might be a lack of transportation available to the customer or an upcoming event for which the furniture must be there. Often it is the fact that the piece is so interwoven with daily life in the house, that they can't do without it for the time it would be fitted and the slipcover assembled.
The cost of this method is a bit more (it can add $100-$150 or more to the overall cost), but to many people the convenience is worth it. The pattern is created during one visit & the fabric is collected and taken back to the studio where the slipcover is cut and assembled. When completed (or nearly so), the slipcover is trekked back to the home and installed on the furniture where the fit is checked. If all fits nicely and the hems and skirts are in place, that is the end and the cover is ready to be put into service! Occasionally, a piece of furniture has a difficult shape and a mid-point fitting must take place…but 2 trips to the home is often enough.
Working in a client’s house once in a while is great fun and a real diversion. I get to meet their dogs, cats and kids …and sometimes slip in a cup of tea with a cookie if offered!