Many sturdy cotton fabrics (such as broadcloth, poplin, percale, oxford cloth, twill) intended for clothing are 45" wide or less. Most upholstery fabric is 54" wide, and it tends to be a more durable weave, such as duck. Expect to pay at least twice as much as you prefer if you want to use an upholstery fabric.

My main problem is I find no variety at all in washable fabric. A fabric store in my town doesn’t even carry anything washable. Do you know any sources? Thank you!!

The problem is your price range. Anything that inexpensive will be too lightweight for slipcovers.

If you find a fabric that's medium to heavyweight and is marked as dry clean only, doesn't mean you can't wash it. It means there's a finish on it that will come off if you washed it. You'd just need to buy a small amount and test wash it first to make sure it doesn't come out looking like a rag or something. You would need to wash it all first before sewing tho.

I made slip cover for a sofa with denim. I have a textile outlet store near me so that made it easier to find what I was looking for. I shopped there several times over a year to finally find something. I ended up about 4 yards more than I needed but I wanted extra for mistakes (there was no way they would have more to buy if I ran out) spent about $130.00 for what ever the amount of fabric I purchased. Medium weight , medium blue, softener denim. I cut pieces larger than I needed and washed and dried to preshrink. It was difficult to sew on my sewing machine but got it done. I wanted to use a heavy duty thread but the bobbin wouldn't work with heavy duty thread. Someone told me to just use regular thread in bobbin and heavy duty on the spool thread, that worked really well once I got the tension adjusted.

I have done it. I don't remember what I paid for fabric. It was a twill printed fabric, and every time someone sat on it, there was another pull which showed white where the ink didn't reach the fiber.

Fabric is one of those items where you tend to get what you paid for. $6 to$8 -per yard "upholstery fabric" it likely to be as much of a bargain as a $100 "industrial" sewing machine on Ebay.

I just got a new love seat. I'll admit to being hard on coverings: I have a cat, and I often balance a cup of coffee or a glass of wine on the lap desk while I surf the web. I toyed with the idea of making a slip cover. It was better value to buy one.

I’m thinking with the fabric so expensive and $450 to the seamstress, a new sofa might be a good value. But mine is very comfortable and a good size. This has given me a lot to think about. Thanks for all your help everyone!