Step Two

glossary

Getting Ready

• Prepare the ironing surface. Use either an ironing board or a well protected large flat surface that will not be damaged by heat and steam. Be sure the surface is protected by a pad.
  
  
• Turn on your iron. Be sure to set your iron to the correct temperature for the fabric. If your sheet is cotton, use the cotton setting. The polyester setting is too cool for cotton while the cotton setting is too hot for polyester.
  
  
• The No-Sew Seam Tape has a protective paper tape. This allows you to iron the tape in perfect 1/2" seams. As long as the paper covers the No-Sew Seam Tape it cannot hurt your iron or ironing board. Do not remove the paper tape until instructed to. Take a look at the No-Sew Seam Tape now.
  
  
• Turn the king sheet and the side panels wrong side up and press smooth.

Fold the sheet and panels neatly, exposing the cut edges about 6". This will make it easier to manage the large amount of fabric as you move the fabric over the ironing surface.

If adhesive sticks to iron: Let cool. Use Goo Gone® (available in most hardware stores). Just saturate a paper towel with Goo Gone® and place on protected surface (aluminum foil on counter is just fine). Rest cool iron, plate down, on paper towel. Let sit for a couple of hours. Use an old toothbrush with Goo Gone® to remove any remaining traces of adhesive.

First Step to Make a Bonded Seam

Start with the center panel wrong side up. Either 108" side of the panel is fine. It doesn't matter.

• Pin down an end of the No-Sew Seam Tape with the paper side up/adhesive side down on the wrong side of the fabric and gently press it along the edge. Don't pre-cut the tape. It's much easier to unspool it as you go along the edge. Cut the tape at the end.

If you're right-handed, pin down the right-most edge of the sheet and unspool the No-Sew Seam Tape with your left hand. You'll have better control of the iron. Reverse this for left-handed unspooling.

Gently fold over the No-Sew Seam Tape. Lightly press to crease. Remove the paper tape and press again. The first half of the seam is done. That wasn't hard, was it?

Second Step to Make a Bonded Seam

The center panel is still wrong side up.

• Now, pin down an end of a second strip of No-Sew Seam Tape on top of the turnover you just made. Press lightly.
  
  
• Remove the paper.

• Take one of the side panels wrong side up. Overlap the cut edge of the side panel so that it exactly covers the tape (seam) of the center panel. Pin the fabric in place.
  
  
• Now bond the sheets together. This time go slow. Use lots of steam and heat. Don't worry: You can't over-bond the fabric. Move the iron slowly and steadily without missing any spots when you pull more fabric forward. Overlap your ironing motion to make sure that entire seam is properly bonded.
  
  

  That's it! You've just made a slipcover seam! You are halfway done in making the body of the slipcover. Easy, wasn't it?

• Repeat the process on the other side of the center panel to complete the cover.

You're almost done. Now, hem the outside edges of the cover.

Finishing the Edges by Hemming

Cover is wrong side up on the ironing surface and folded so you can manage the large amount of fabric easily and efficiently.

• Pin down an end of the No-Sew Seam Tape with the paper side up/adhesive down on the wrong side of the fabric and press gently. Don't pre-cut the tape. It's much easier to unspool it as you go along the edge. Cut the tape at the end.
  
  
• Remove paper and fold. Press lightly. Pin to hold in place. Press again, a little bit harder and longer to make a crisp hem.

Here's a decorator's secret to eliminate the excess fabric at the sofa's legs: After hemming the cover, measure and make a mark 8 inches up from each corner along both sides. Draw a line connecting the two marks. Cut the corners off at the marks. Hem the corner edge. This is a great trick to remember!

Hooray! Congratulations! You have made the cover and all you did was iron! If you're making a simple cover, you're done! For a skirt to complete your project, go to Step 3.

Finish with a Gathered Skirt
Finish with a Tailored Skirt