Travel Trailer Makeover, Part 7: Chevron Slipcovered Couch

Hoo boy. Oh yes, that couch.  This was the biggest challenge in my Travel Trailer Makeover project.

Which is why it took me, oh, about 8 months (*ahem* 11 months) to get back to my blogging series. It was THAT traumatic. (NOT because I got lazy and distracted with other things...)


Here is the reminder Before pic, complete with diamond upholstery on the couch cushion back, front kick flap, curtain cornice thingy, dinette cushions as well as the lovely wallpaper border:

And yes, ALL off that diamond pattern fabric is sayonara  (Good riddance)  :)

This couch project took a lot of fabric up because I needed to match up both the chevron zig zag pattern AND the color. OY. AND I miscut and had a piece upside down (the wrong color pattern).  I had to change it, I knew it would bug me forEVAH.

I made the bottom kick pleat flap thingy first.  It's quite simple, just serged on the top, hemmed on the bottom and screwed into place on top of the couch base board :

I had to piece two LONG fabric widths together to match up the entire zig zag and to make the kick pleat which YES I wanted to do. It just made the whole thing look way more "finished".

Held open (ignore my not quite perfect lining up on the inside):

Lying flat:

Making/designing the couch slip cover took a LOT of measuring, remeasuring and then measuring again for good measure.

I sketched out a rough pattern based on the couch fabric pieces and measured like crazy.

This is what the couch slipcover ended up looking like pre-sewing assembly:

Each piece was labeled with where on the couch is went and which was was UP.  Also displayed in this pic a pile of toys. Because recovering a travel trailer couch takes time and I got super lazy with housework. Just keeping it real :)

After plotting the entire thing out, it was stitch time.  I systematically pieced the entire thing together using a tight stitch on my serger. I wanted it super strong!

Next up, take the slip cover out to the trailer and fit it over the original fabric on the couch:


It was at this point that I realized you cannot staple into METAL.  Yes, I though the back of the couch was wood and that I would be able to simple staple gun the fabric to the wood couch frame. Nope. Nada. It's metal.

SO. I have yet to do so, but I am planning on hand stitching/tacking the back of the couch slipcover to the original couch fabric with super strong upholstery thread.  Not ideal, but better than nothing!   It stays pretty well as it is a tight fitting slipcover.

So, there you go, before and after travel trailer couch makeover!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl 

Check out all the posts from this Travel Trailer Makeover Series!

• Part 1: A sassified Shower Curtain

• Part 2: The "before I tore everything apart" Tour
• Part 3: Bright Bold and Beautiful Fabrics
• Part 4: Wallpaper removal, A Dismantled Trailer and New Side Curtains 
• Part 5: Cornici Recoving! 
• Part 6: Dinette Cushions Madeover! 
• Part 7: Couch Slipcover
• Part 8: Master Bedroom and Privacy Curtains
• Part 9: Bunk Beds and Windows