Custom Slipcover for a Sofa Bed

The upholstery on the sofa bed at my vacation rental was getting a lot of wear and tear.  The sofa is in good condition, but the light fabric just doesn't hold up well to summer rentals which naturally include exposure to sunscreen and sand. The sofa bed and matching loveseat are professionally cleaned annually, but it's expensive (the vendor charges extra for our location and it costs about $600). So having a washable slipcover is hopefully the answer to the problem.

My sewing skills are basic and best described as beginner level. So, this was a BIG project for me! I decided on my last visit in the Fall of 2024 to make a slipcover. My goal was to make the slipcover during my next visit in the Spring of 2025. I did a lot of research online and watched a lot of videos. Then I practiced making my first slipcover on an old arm chair that's in my basement. Whew! That was a challenge, but it helped boost my confidence for making a slipcover for the sofa bed. (I've included affiliate links to products I purchased after finishing my first project which helped me tremendously on my second project.)

Sofa bed with cushions removed.

One problem I ran into was how to design the slipcover specifically for a sofa with a pullout bed. I didn't find anything useful online, so I came up with my own design. I took photos along the way which I am sharing with you today. It's not a full-blown tutorial as I am not a seamstress by any means. Nevertheless, I do hope you find the information useful.

Lifting the pullout bed from the sofa.

First let's take a look at the sofa bed with the cushions removed. The bed lifts up and then folds out. The hinges are attached to the bottom frame with two bolts. 

The pullout bed is attached to the sofa frame with two bolts.

It's almost impossible to get an actual photo of the attachment, but the bed connects to the sofa towards the back of the wooden frame at the inside arm.

The pullout bed attaches to the sofa frame towards the back of the inside arm.

There are a few options in designing a custom slipcover for a sofa bed. The easiest option for me (and for my guests) was to make a traditional slipcover but to leave out the deck piece. This allows the bed to open and close without removing the slipcover.  

Designing a slipcover for a sofa bed.

Since there wasn't a deck piece to attach to, I added a 1" rolled hem to the bottom edges of the inside back, inside arms, and the front apron piece.

Inside pieces are finished with a 1 inch rolled hem.

I used safety pins to attach temporary labels to all the pieces. This helps keep things organized as I sew. It can get confusing when the slipcover is off the sofa and under the sewing machine. The rolled hem gives a little extra weight to the edge of the fabric.

Add temporary labels to each slipcover piece.

Once all the pieces were cut, fit, and sewn together, I used tailor's chalk to mark 10" off the floor and then pinned the piping around the sofa. This is where I will attach the skirt.

Use tailors chalk to mark on the fabric.

The inside of the front apron piece drapes to the bottom of the inside of the frame. Once the piping was attached, I cut away the excess fabric around the perimeter of the slipcover in preparation for attaching the skirt. This step made me very nervous! 

Cut away the excess fabric.

After cutting and piecing together the skirt, I drew chalk lines on the wrong side of the fabric where the folds of the pleats will go.

Tailor's chalk used to make guideline for folding the pleats.

The chalk lines made it easier for me to make accurate folds before pinning and sewing the pleated skirt.

Folding pleats using chalk lines as a guide.

Meanwhile, I had to spread my project out in a somewhat limited space in the living room. 

Slipcover project spread out in living room.

I set up my cutting and sewing station in the adjacent dining room. The pink cutting mat was my original mat that I've used for years. I purchased a larger 36" mat which was extremely useful for working with larger pieces of fabric. I brought both mats with me to help protect the dining table.

Sewing and cutting station set up on dining table.

I purchased a 36" sewing guide ruler with a removable straight-edge piece. There's a small lip on the black piece that rests on the edge of my cutting mat.  It was very helpful in keeping my ruler straight while making cuts on large piece of fabric with my rotary cutter. 

The guide on the ruler assures a straight line for cutting.

I cut and fit the fabric over each of the six sofa cushions and attached the piping to each piece.

Pin fitting piping for a custom cushion cover.

After the first cushion was finished, I decided to mark the sew lines on the wrong side of the fabric with tailor's chalk. It helped my confidence tremendously while sewing.

Mark sew lines with tailor's chalk.

I pinned the fabric for the box cushions along the sew lines that I chalked as a guide.

Pin fabric along the chalked sew lines.

My zippers might not be perfect, but I'm super proud of them. I've never sewn zippers before! I added tucks to both ends of the zippers so they will be hidden when right-side-out.

Adding a zipper to a custom slipcover cushion.

I used a zipper foot for the entirety of the project. I also used sewing clips whenever possible. I can't even tell you how many times I pricked my fingers on the sewing pins! 

Throughout the project I used heavy duty sewing needles. I bought a multi-pack of needles and I am so glad I did as I did break a couple (user error!), but overall, it was a good purchase and they held up to the task of sewing multiple layers of heavy fabric.

Zipper foot, heavy-duty needle and sewing clips.

And here is the finished slipcover! The fabric is a 10-ounce preshrunk cotton canvas from Big Duck Canvas. The color is Mosaic Blue. I cut the fabric into 4-yard sections and prewashed it before I traveled to my condo. I also constructed all the piping ahead of time. That saved me a couple of days work while I was onsite.

Finished Mosaic Blue custom slipcover for sofa bed.

For 99% of the time the cushions hold the slipcover in place. But when they're removed the construction of the slipcover arms and the weight of the fabric keep everything in place. I purchased hook and loop tape which I planned to attach to the frame, but I ran out of time. I will probably add it on my next trip, but in the meantime, it seems to be working OK as it is.

Custom slipcover for sleeper sofa.

The fabric on the interior pieces of the slipcover drapes down towards the bottom frame. The inside back ends just above the bed. The inside arms end just above the bolts that attach the pull-out bed to the sofa. And the front apron piece drapes to the bottom frame of the sofa. All the inside pieces are finished with a 1" rolled hem.

Customizing a slipcover for a sofa bed.

Pulling out the bed from the sofa is easy and clears the slipcover.

Pulling out the sofa bed with a custom slipcover.

The bed is pulled out from the sofa without disturbing the slipcover.

Slipcovered sofa with a pullout bed.

The inside back piece is a little loose and could use some adjustment, but under normal circumstances it is hidden by the cushions, so I'm not too worried about it.

Custom slipcovered sofa with a pullout bed.

This photo angle shows how the pullout bed clears the slipcover. It's easy to use and easy to maintain. The entire fabric is machine washable although it will require ironing. But I'm OK with that if it saves me $600 on professional cleaning each year.

Custom slipcover is easy to use and maintain.

You may have noticed an area rug in the earlier photos. It was getting worn and made it difficult to slide the coffee table out of the way to open the bed. So we disposed of the rug. The coffee table is new.

Custom slipcover for a sofa bed.

I was a little nervous about the brightness of my fabric choice. But I think it coordinates well with the original fabric, so I kept the throw pillows. 

Sofa bed slipcovered in Mosaic Blue fabric.

The yellow cabinet next to the sofa is one I painted years ago. 

Hand-painted yellow cabinet next to blue slipcovered sofa bed.

I call it my Mermaid Cabinet. I just love the color and am obsessed with the mermaid drawer pull!

Mermaid drawer pull on yellow cabinet next to blue sofa.

The cost of the fabric was about $100 plus supplies like cording, thread, zippers, etc. I didn't keep an exact itemization, but overall, I estimate it was less than $200 for the entire project. I plan to make a matching slipcover for the loveseat on my next visit.

SUPPLIES I BOUGHT (OR WISHED FOR):

Basic supplies I used for my first slipcover project included: a sewing machine (mine is a basic Singer), zipper foot, scissors and/or a rotary cutter, cutting mat, measuring tape, acrylic ruler, pins, iron & ironing board, thread, and fabric. I also purchased cording and zippers. My second slipcover project was easier with the purchase of the supplies listed below!

Below is a summary of affiliate links to products I actually purchased to make my second slipcover project easier:

TAILOR'S CHALK

SEWING CLIPS

HOOK AND LOOP ADHESIVE TAPE

OVERCAST PRESSER FOOT

NON-SLIP RULER WITH GUIDE

SEWING NEEDLES FOR HEAVY FABRIC

36" CUTTING MAT

I longed for a serger machine to finish off all the seams for a real professional finish! But I don't own one and couldn't justify the price for this project. So, I bought an overcast presser foot which in my opinion is the next best thing. But I didn't end up using it because it was taking too much time and used more thread than I estimated. I didn't want to end up running out of either time or thread, so I finished the raw edges with a zigzag stitch instead. But I plan to use the overcast foot on my next slipcover that I make at home. Nevertheless, if I continue with my sewing journey, I will definitely invest in a serger!

I hope you found the information and photos helpful. Thanks for reading!