Has anyone managed to re-cover a sofa themself or do I need a professional?

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We've just had a quote for our very old sofa and 2 armchair to be re-upholstered and the sofa alone was going to cost £1400 once we'd included the material, delivery etc. .

Has anyone got any tips for doing it yourself?
All I know is how much material we'd need and I was sort of hoping I could improvise using common sense and a borrowed sewing machine but this could be mad!! The sofa's in good shape structurally, it's just that it's really grubby and I'm bored of hiding it with a throw.
I like sewing but not an expert!

I have bought a book on upholstery and intend to try and recover a couple of wingback chairs.

They are not in great condition so I figure if i make a mess of it then I can just get them done professionally but won't have lost much by having a try myself first.

I've just found some more encouragement here if anyone else is still hesitating to get started!

Hi
I'm a new member on here. Just looking around & found your thread, I am an upholsterer & that price you was quoted sounds expensive. Did you manage to do anything about your re-upholstery?
www.kineticfurniture.co.uk my direct contact details are on there.