You want to use an upholstery grade fabric. While many sites and magazines will tell you to use any thing from a bed sheet to a large piece of fabric you found in your grandmothers attic, truth be told, you should use an upholstery grade fabric. The reason being is upholstery grade fabric is made to withstand use on a chair and sofa. Fabric manufactured for a dress was never meant to be sat upon day after dayÂthink of sitting on a sofa, your weight stretches the fabric downward when you sit; then the fabric is released when you rise. Stretch and release; stretch and release, stretch and release. Further, there is constant abrasion between your clothing and the slipcover. Every time you sit, shift, or otherwise move, you are creating friction. Friction will destroy fabricÂthat is why you see "butt" marks on old chairs and sofas.

So donÂt let anyone tell you to use any fabric that you wantÂbuy upholstery grade fabric. Trust me on this; my grandmother use to run her own upholstery business that included the making of slipcovers. She also taught upholstery and dressmaking at the local community college. She was also a dressmaker, tailor, and re-weaver. In addition, I have taken a both professional design classes and textile theory and design classes. Fashion fabric is for your body, upholstery fabric is for your sofa.

If the fabric you are looking at is at a fashion fabric store, then it is meant for clothingÂnot slipcovers. You need to find a decorating fabric store. Look for a Calico Corner fabric store, a decorator fabric store, or an upholstery shop. Not everything in the decorating fabric store will be suitable for upholstery; many of the fabrics are suitable only for drapes, so make sure you confirm that the fabric is indeed upholstery grade.

Please note that many fabrics have a finish; the type of finish will determine the cleaning process. Make sure the fabric you choose is machine washable!!!

Make sure the fabric is a basic weave. Specialty weaves may cause seams and/or curves to pucker. Pull the fabric firmly (not too hard) in each direction (weft and warp) to see whether the threads separate easily and to see if it pulls out of shape easily. You want a closely woven fabric. A closely woven fabric will hold together against pressure. Some upholstery fabric is "for light upholstery application only." This means you use it on a piece that only gets sat upon on Christmas Day. For obvious reason, do not select a sheer fabric.

Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers. It is 2 Â 3 times stronger than cotton. Nonetheless, a constant crease in linen will break the threads over time. When sewing your slipcover, make sure you use the correct needle size. Too large a needle with leave tale-tell needle holes. Too small a needle and you run the risk of breaking it while sewing. Make sure you use the proper sewing thread weight. The salesperson will be able to help you with the weight. A fine dressmaking thread will result in split seams, so make sure you have the correct thread for the weight of fabric.

Regarding Thread Count (TC): please do not get too caught up in TC as a high TC fabric may not be as durable as a lower TC. The quality of the thread is what counts and nothing can tell you about thread quality other than the mills reputation for raw material procurment and their manufacturing process.

Good luck.

BTW: Love your Barbara Barry! IÂm a big Baker fan.

Thank you, realdreamer! I guess my question is "what is upholstery grade fabric"? Is it reflected in the weight of the fabric, the thread count vs thread size, or is it just based on the finish?

I tried google, but all I got were thousands of ads for diaper bags made from upholstery grade fabric. Not much help there!

LOL, Trust me, there are millions of upholstery fabrics out there. You just need to go to a decorating fabric store to get upholstery fabric:) The only way you are going to find upholstery grade fabric on line is if you know exactly the brand and collection you want. Then you contact a place like www.eadeswallpaper.com (who would have guessed they sold fabric!) and you get a qoute and order if you like the price.

There are hundreds of mills that sell hundreds of designs, so you need the product information. For instance, I just ordered Kravets (brand), Allure Velvet (collection) 14743 (style number) 135 (color code).

Upholstery grade fabric is determined by many elements: the ply and twist of the thread, the weight of the thread, the weave of the fabric, the dye, the finish and any decorative embellishments. You can take a finished upholstery grade fabric, embroider all over it and make in totally unsuitable for upholstery. You could find a med. weight fabric that feels like upholstery grade, but the weave may be inappropriate. Likewise, some silk dupioni, which is a light weight fabric, can be used on upholsterybut you have to apply a knit backing to it first. Other heavy silks cannot be used on upholstery due to its weave and finish.

Truly, the mill has to determine its use.

All fabric manufacturers will mark their fabric for end use. Flip to the inside back of the fabric book for the list of end uses. If the fabric is rolled and hung on a display rack, look on the hanging tag. If it is not marked and you are in a reputable decorating fabric store, ask the salesperson if it can be used for uphostery.

Generally speaking--and this is assuming you are in a decorating fabric store--if you see a fabric the weight of shirting or a bed sheet, it is not upholstery grade. Most likely for drapes and throw pillows. Look for something the weight of a heavy damask tablecloth. Then ask to confirm it is suitable for upholstery. The linen will probably feel rougher than you envisioned, but it will soften in time and washings.

Have you considered purchasing a slipcover? It maybe a lot less trouble. Many places will custom make it to ensure a good fit.

Digginthedirt,
This link is to a company that makes linen for apparal and home decor...they should be able to direct you to a retailer
that carries their line.

http://www.worldlinen.com/home.html

Thanks again. I think I'll go back to my fabric store; I like purchasing things locally when they're available, although the cost can be a lot higher than buying on line.

It seems like, in this case, I really need their help getting the right fabric.

digging -- when you go to the fabric store, ask for linen that is suitable for upholstery. Even on websites there are notes about which fabrics are suitable for upholstery. Usually the ones which drape well -- that is when you fold them they drape rather than break -- are not great for upholstery. One reason not to order online is so you can feel the fabric -- it should be relatively thick, it should not drape, and it should not be loosely woven. Also not too many slubs or loose ends (though all linen has some slubs).

Many fabrics are rated for strength by numbers of rubs. The higher the number of rubs the more durable the fabric.

Linen is good because it is strong, it is washable, moths don't like it. But it stretches, wrinkles and fades. Dark colors are not supposed to be good for upholstery but I have navy linen slipcovers and figure that when they're threadbare they'll look even better.

The reason being is upholstery grade fabric is made to withstand use on a chair and sofa.

Thank you for your comment. Do you suggest that I go ahead with it seeing as I like the colour better than the "denim" one?

https://www.greenhousefabrics.com/fabrics/search/topsiderI think a great choice is a fabric that is a 100% Hemp. It has the appearance of linen but is much more heavy weight, much less wrinkly and easily washable and less costly than linen. The one I have used in the past is called Montego which comes in several colors, white, pecan, stone, ivory etc. I think it is made or distributed by a company in NJ called Diversitex. I did see it on Amazon but on Amazon it said it was out of stock. I don't think it is out of stock by Diversitex. You could look online for samples or stores that sell cut yardage so you don't have to buy it by the roll which might be more than you need. Rolls are usually 50 yards but sometime if suppliers have it they might sell you 1/2 a roll. Purchasing by the roll or 1/2 roll will be less costly than buying by the yard as cut yardage. Typically for a slipcovered sofa you might need about 20 yards. You might even try calling Diversitex. Another good resource for fabrics is Greenhouse fabrics which I located in North Carolina. http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Montego-Hemp-Natural-Fabric/dp/B00166G88A/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt and https://www.greenhousefabrics.com/fabrics/search/hemp .As for a blue a nice choice in blue that is 100% cotton and not that expensive is called Topsider. I see that Greenhouse fabrics distributes it. It comes in just about every color. It is very heavy duty and it is washable. https://www.greenhousefabrics.com/fabrics/search/topsider

Thank you for all that information. I will look into it.