For these slipcovers (there were two sofas, facing each other in the family room) I used a light khaki denim, a black and white stripe for the welting and pillows and a box-pleated skirt.
The box-pleated skirt gives it a totally different look than a tailored or gathered skirt. It is also a much bigger pain to make.
Neither back shows since both are pushed against a wall, but it still looks cool with the buttons in the black and white fabric.
I also learned a HUGE lesson when I did these slipcovers. When I went to cut, I did not realize that the two sofas were different sizes. They looked the same. Luckily, I cut the sofa and measured the cushions on the one that was slightly larger. When I went to install the finished slipcovers, one fit perfectly and the other was too big. Well, I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong when my client happen to mention that the sofas were not, in fact, the same size. They just looked like they were. (A fine time to point this out, I thought.) I was not happy, but like I said, at least I had a finished cover to cut down, not to try to make larger. It was the same with the cushion covers. It is never easy to fix mistakes, but it is far easier to fix ones I've made than to try to fix someone else's. Now, if there are two seemingly identical pieces of furniture, you better believe I make sure they are instead of just assuming they are. Lesson learned!
