Fabric for seat covers.

[Gina D.]

I am going to make slip covers for my cushions so I can take them off and wash them easily.

I was thinking of using Denim, if I can find it in the right color, because dog hair doesn't seem to stick to it. (Go ahead, look down at your jeans.. see any? Why IS that?)

As an alternate, I have found a marine vinyl at the fabric store, it is as red as my trailer, which is good, but I am thinking it may have a hard cold feeling in the egg?

Anyone do this? My walls are so white now, I want a little contrast, but with no rat fur, or carpet, it is getting a bit much with the hard surfaces.

[Christi V.]

I heard the microfiber material is nice too.. just use a damp rag to wipe off the doggie hair.... I dont know if its machine washable tho...

[Donna D.]

Gina, vinyl will be cold (or hot as the case may be). One of the trailer brands was manufacturered with cushions that had upholstery fabric on one side and a vinyl-type stuff on the other. Since I can't search for much, I can't tell you which type of trailer. Maybe someone will chime in. But the dual-use idea kind of appeals to me.

[Gina D.]

Christi, are you speaking of ultra suede?

I DO have some of that as a body pillow cover. I should try a damp rag on it and see what happens.

The cushions that came with the trailer are Orange and looked nice, but it is a small weave burlap type material. Soft, but boy.. you gotta get in there with tweezers to get the hairs out.

Needless to say.. it's always hairy

I also thought of cheap childrens sleeping bags. Hair just wipes off of that.. I don't know tho. They don't generaly come in adult colors. And I don't want Barney in my rig, thanks.

[Barbara Gardin]

It was Bolers that had the vinyl on one side and I think olefin if you remember that on the other side. That olefin never wore out. Lots of sofas covered in that. I too think the vinyl while easy to clean wouldn't be very comfortable.

[Mary F]

Casitas have it too! Came in handy once upon a time when we had to take down the awning in a squall. (We were soaked!)

[Sharon Herman]

Microfiber is not the same thing as ultrasuede. Microfiber is more like a really soft warm windbreaker. It would wipe off, ultrasuede...not so much. MF would be really nice on the cushions, but it and ultrasuede can be pricey. I am thinking of doing mine in corduroy or denim. Corduroy would collect more hair, but a dustbuster would get it off.

[pjanits]

I think dog hair doesn't stick to denim is because it's almost pure cotton and non static -key. I don't recall ever gettting a static zap when wearing jeans.

[Linda K.]

Of course if you really want to be decadent you could use leather. It is comfortabe and the dog hair does not stick. However it is spendy. Linda

[Benny K]

Wasn`t the reason that the Bolers used vinyl on one side was something to do with condensation in cool weather and the vinyl kept the cushions dry?.....I had mine redone with upholstery fabric and have noticed no condensation problems under the cushions.....we bring them inside for the winter and maybe that`s why.....Benny

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally posted by pjanits@Nov 12 2005, 08:45 PM
I think dog hair doesn't stick to denim is because it's almost pure cotton and non static -key. I don't recall ever gettting a static zap when wearing jeans.

But, but... CAT hair sticks to everything!

[Elsie G.]

OH OH I got it! How about Denim with Red Piping, and Stitching. You could use those red & white kerchief things for curtains. That would look soooooooooooooo cool!

[Elsie G.]

Forget that last post, I think we will use that theme in the Scamp. Just joking, I HATE RED!

gina - if you decide to do the recovering yourself with a washable fabric - do not forget to 'pre-shrink' fabric before you make one cut. do it twice at the hottest dryer setting you would use (gas dryers run alot hotter than electric). learned this the hard way - had a really tough time stuffing the cushions back into the covers after the first wash - and i had pre-washed the fabric X1 before i made the covers. oh well.
good luck - irene

[Linda K.]

Another eyedea, Make a cushion cover similar to a fitted sheet, make several and then when they get dirty they are easy to remove and wash and replace. You could even put elastic straps on the underside to ensure they wouldn't come off while using them. I think I will do the same as I have two dogs and muddy foot prints are always a hugh bother. Linda K.

[Gina D.]

Linda, that is exactly what I plan to do. Easy on, easy off. No need to decorate the bottoms of the cushions.

They will slip right over the current ones.

I think I have it. I have an old tartan plaid (The official color of Oregonian blood) sofa cover. It is in very good condition. The dog hair never stuck to it either.

Don't know what it's made of.

gina - linda
thanks much for the ideas. i think i will just make what amounts to 'pillow cases' for our cushions - never thought of that. now i am looking for some sheets - THANKS! irene

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Gina,
For some perverse reason, I re-read all these comments with the thought you were referring not to cushions for "The Shady Bush II" but to one's physically attached "cushions". Virtually all comments still apply.
Going to my room, before I get sent
Kurt & Ann K.

[christineb]

OK here's my 2 cents worth. I just recovered our cushions, I got new foam too. I used upholstery fabric which is NOT washable, but I sprayed the whole lot with Scotsguard, so it should be "wipeable" however, I think maybe not cat-hair-proof. I would NOT use corduroy, it fades dramatically (I speak from experience here) The other part of the consideration is, it's quite a bit of work and I wanted ours to last and not have to do them every year. I'm really pleased with the results!
Christine

[Steve and Kate S.]

We got all new cushions from Scamp [our originals were vinyl on one side, too], but we also wanted to protect the new cushions from our dogs. We're very happy with the denim covers I made.

My sewing ability is limited so I made them like big pillow cases. I think the material was 60" wide. Rather than cutting off the extra width for a closer fit, I kept the extra width and tuck it in at the ends of each cushion, and the covers hold in place very well. Pre-shrinking the fabric is important. I also made the covers a few inches bigger than the actual cushions so they go on and off easily.

Good luck with your project.
Kate