SLIPCOVERS
(continued from page 67)
The
Best Seat
In The House
Product Of
The Month
Mansfield
696
PLUMBING PRODUCTS
Cascade.
Water Efficient Fixtures
The distinctive Cascade china
toilet. European design - yet
made in the U.S.A. A water-ef-
ficient toilet with only 1.6
gallons of water used per flush.
Decorative styling adds flair to
contemporary baths.
Installation Referral Available
•
11111111111111111b.
Supply Company
cAlanagement c Specialtie8
Corp.
(313) 548.5656
2800 W. 11 Mile Rd. • Berkley, MI 48072
Between Greenfield and Coolidge
now that makers like Waverly offer prewashed
fabrics, slipcover care is easier and less ex-
pensive than it used to be. If you do wash them
at home, putting the covers back onto furni-
ture while slightly damp should take care of
wrinkles and control shrinkage.
Fabric and furniture makes alike are mak-
ing it easy to choose slipcovers. Companies
like Dapha and EJ. Victor sell sofas and chairs
with slipcover companions. Catalogue shop-
ping is another alternative to custom slipcov-
ering. But manufacturers, however convenient
or cost-effective, cannot offer the cornucopia
of covering choices and styles for which cus-
tom slipcovering allows.
Labor for slipcovers generally costs half
that of upholstering, and more fabric is re-
quired. While prices vary, labor to slipcover
an oversized chair is roughly $140-$210, re-
quiring 5-7 yards of fabric; a 3-cushion sofa
costs about $290-$325, requiring 12-16 yards
of fabric. Fabric prices must be considered as
well. Cotton chintz and prints run from $7-$22
per yard and tapestries run in the $30 range.
Good slipcover fabrics include cotton , pol-
ished cotton, chintz, calico, canvas, linen, wool
and flannel.
"People whose parents used slipcovers tend
to go that route," notes Susan Doherty of Fab-
rique. "People who are adamant about not us-
ing them remember their grandparents' old
sloppy ones." (And the spring cleaning they
signaled). Whether you are a life-long fan or
a convert, as Lynda Kivi explains, "Attitude
and personality rule everything regarding slip-
covers." While they're not always practical,
people do love them.
The following businesses either make slip-
covers in-house, or have established rela-
tionships with makers and are enthusiastic
about slipcovers and their possibilities within
the realm of interior design. As slipcover cut-
ters are a disappearing breed (and very few
upholsterers make them), designers do pro-
tect their contact lists and fabric supplies gen-
erally only recommend cutters when fabric is
purchased.
Fabrique. 750 S. Woodward, Birmingham,
644 6505. Susan Doherty, owner, slipcovers
everything in her home, especially for the hol-
idays. This store specializes in custom-made
bedspreads, draperies, slipcovers and uphol-
stery. They also have first quality re-orderable
goods, panels of fabric and wallpaper, and they
offer one-day shipping from their Toledo lo-
-
(continued on page 70)
68 • SPRING 1993 • STYLE