Measure Your Furniture

How to Measure the Sofa or Chair

In order to make a cutting layout we need to measure every piece of fabric on every part of the sofa. (The actual pieces you measure will vary depending upon the style of your sofa.) Write down the widest point and the tallest point of every piece. Then add several inches to each measurement to allow for seam allowance and extra fabric to grab hold of to pull it. Measure all the welting. For a standard sofa, here is an example of what to measure (will vary with each sofa):

On the sofa deck (under the cushions) the fabric pieces that you need to measure are:

the Front Deck

Front Band

Front Band welting

On the arms measure

the Inside Arms*

Outside Arms

Arm Facing

Arm Facing Welting

On the backrest, measure

the Inside Back*

the Banding

the Banding Welting (add about 20 inches to what shows. This welting needs to be long enough to stick through the frame slots and put through to the outside. More about this later.)

the Outside Back

The Outside Back Welting

On the Cushions measure

the Cushion Faces (top & bottom),

Boxing

Welting

Zipper pieces

There may also be other pieces to measure that are not listed here.

*The inside arms and the inside back need special consideration. First you need to determine whether or not you will be using a stretcher cloth at the bottom of these. If so, then you will add about 3 or 4 inches at the bottom of each of these