At this point, I have the sofa frame glued together, ready for the fabric. I would suggest a fabric that doesn't contain elastic/lycra and have at least 1 metre if you're making 6th scale or larger.
To start, I glue pieces of fabric to all of the side facing parts and overlap a little over the edges.
I then run double-sided sticky tape around each arm. (Fabric glue can be used too)
Then I make banding for the arms. The arms on my sofa are 18mm wide so I make the banding the same width.
Starting a little way in at the bottom, I stick the banding on both of the sofa arms
Next is a piece of fabric the width of seat, long enough to wrap around the sofa
Before fixing the fabric in place, you can pad the back of the sofa so it looks more authentic.
but leave a gap at the sides. You need this to stick the fabric to.
Starting at the bottom, I use very strong double-sided sticky tape.
Start working your way up from bottom to top, making sure the fabric pieces meet at the edges
Keep adding strips of double-sided tape, (or glue), to keep the fabric in place
Manipulate the fabric over the back, making sure it is stuck to the tape (or glue) at the sides, especially if you have padded the back of the sofa. Keep sticking the fabric until you reach the starting point, underneath.
For the seat, I use 1" thick foam. Measure a piece to fit, but leave about 2mm gap all around. This is to leave room for the fabric you are covering the foam with.
To cover the foam cushion, I glue a piece of fabric to the top and bottom. I then make another piece of banding, 1" wide and stick the banding around the edge of the cushion. Start sticking it at the back so that the join in the banding doesn't show.
Last thing to do is add feet. Remember when I pre-drilled holes for the bamboo toothpicks? I use the pointy end of the toothpick to find the hole in the base of the sofa. Dab a little glue on it and push it in to the sofa frame. Then get the feet you have chosen, drill a hole in them the size of the toothpick and then glue them into place. Once the glue is dried, you can cut off the excess toothpick and you're done.
I have found that this method ensures the feet and banding stay where they should be.
The finished sofa
Just add some cool cushions and mini people =0)
I don't mind this tutorial being posted anywhere else - feel free if you think it is helpful to anyone.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend
Pepper =0)
WOW! What a great tutorial. The sofa is gorgeous and beautifully upholstered. Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Catherine =0)
DeleteLooks fantastic! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sam =0)
DeleteExcellent, very nicely done!
ReplyDeleteThank you Karin =0)
DeleteGreat tutorial! Your results are spectacular, as with all of your work! Thank you for sharing this! xo Jennifer
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you Jennifer =0)
DeleteLooks like comments are enabled so I wanted to say how interesting! And beautiful---
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd disabled the comments but must have had a brain fart =0/ Thank you Linda =0)
Deletegreat tuto! and well photographed... as always :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Marion =0)
DeleteWhat a great tutorial, Pepper,your sofa is wonderful and beautifully upholstered. Thank you for sharing all of the tips to achieve this result :D!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Ilona
Thank you and no problem IIona =0)
DeleteThis looks so Impressive Pepper! What a neat and tight fit you have achieved with the upholstery, and what a lovely color that you have chosen, too! :D
ReplyDeleteelizabeth
Thank you Elizabeth =0)
DeleteSimple et efficace! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteMerci Dominique =0)
DeleteThank you for sharing this great tutorial! Hugs, Melli
ReplyDeleteNo problem Melli =0)
DeleteHello Pepper,
ReplyDeletethank you for the great tutorial. The sofa looks beautiful. I love your attention to finish and the straight, clean lines. This is going to be very helpful.
Big hug,
Giac
Thank you Giac, glad you like it =0)
DeleteThank you so much for this awesome tutorial! The couch looks amazing and really nicely done. I have wanted to learn more about woodworking and making homemade projects so this is very motivating. Thanks again for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem Farrah, I'm glad you like it =0)
DeleteWow! that couch has such clean lines. Great tutorial and a amazing outcome. Another fabulous addition to your build!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jane. The clean lines only happen in miniature - my real house is all wobbly and full of crap ;0P
DeleteFantastic tutorial and excellent end result!
ReplyDelete(also I loved the 'My actual sofa is plum leather and covered in cats' bit on the previous part. XD)
Thank you Christine. I don't get to sit anymore, the cats have claimed everything comfortable in the house =0D
Deletehello Pepper merci de ta visite sur mon blog .Très bon tutorial , facile et très beau canapé
ReplyDeleteMerci Catherine . Votre blog est incroyable et très inspirant =0)
DeleteUn estupendo tutorial, te ha quedado precioso, muchas gracias
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo
Maite
Hola Maite. Usted es muy agradable =0)
DeleteThank you very much for this great tutorial and all the work you've put into these very clear instructions.
ReplyDeleteGreetings
Birgit
Thank you Birgit and you are very welcome =0)
DeleteWow Pepper!!!!! I love how you make everything super clean, super modern, super perfect!!!!! I'm always amazed at your work. Just wonderful!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to leave a comment in the first part of this tutorial but I couldn't. So, sorry for this 2 nd comment here but I had to.....Thank you soooooooooo much for sharing this wonderful tut which I've pinned referring back to you. Wonderful!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Simona, you are very welcome =0)
DeleteHi Pepper! Thank You for the detailed tutorial! This will come in handy very soon. I am impressed by the neat, clean lines of the sofa when it is completed. And kick a couple of those cats off the couch! You deserve a rest! :0)
ReplyDeleteDoug
Thanks Doug. I don't fancy getting bitten so I'll keep the kicking to a minimum ;0P
DeleteEl tutorial parece fácil , pero no todo el mundo tiene tus manos .
ReplyDeleteGracias por compartir , es precioso .
Besos
Gracias Rosa. Te prometo que es sólo la práctica y las manos no especiales =0)
DeleteWonderful work, so realistic!
ReplyDeleteGeneviève
Thank you Geneviève =0)
DeletePepper! This is so so well described and easy to follow! Your sofas always look very polished and this one especially with the little details like the stitching on the arms. One thing I take away from your tutorials is how important (and how much easier it is) to get the scale right from the beginning! ;) The red looks awesome against the brick of the loft :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Kristine. If I feel lazy, I use wonderweb to iron the banding instead of stitching =0)
DeleteФантастика! Прекрасная работа! Спасибо за учебник!
ReplyDeleteТатьяна
Спасибо и мы будем очень рады Татьяна
DeleteThank you so much! it's truly useful and beatifully explained, I'll try to make the best use of it
ReplyDeleteRosanna
Fantastic tutorial, thank you! I need to get some double sided sticky tape, looks great for upholstering. Also really like the way you attached the feet, I did something similar but using dressmaker pins (whatever was lying around you know :/ ), pretty sure your method is much more durable, accurate, much easier, neater, better and I will never use pins again, where were you when I needed you!! :D It's a great one for the mini community, and it's getting pinned pronto!
ReplyDeleteSarah :)
What a great tutorial, Pepper! Thank you for your sharing:) I want to make it, too:)
ReplyDelete