my sofa covers have dissolved in the wash

[colditz]

The sofa was 2nd hand anyway, so it was kind of on the way out, but I have to face up to it, it's now knackered and needs to be chucked.

I can't sew, I wouldn't know where to start with a sofa cover! I have a throw but it's not the same

I once looked into getting an old sofa recovered or buying removable covers -would have cost as much as a new sofa so we went for new sofa instead!
Face it -your sofa is off to the big sofa heaven in the sky........

www.oakridgedirect.co.uk/index.cfm?flash=1

Sorry colditz, had to laugh as this must be the funniest thread title I have seen in a while.

Not laughing at your dilemma however. Buying new covers is definately not worth the expense. I think a trip to Ikea is in order.

Bugger ikea, will go down to the furniture project and get some more second hand ones. I have a 2.9 year old boy, and another boy on the way. I'm not buying new furniture for a long time!

Very wise!! My reasoning too, although my youngest is nearly 5 now and I am itching for a lovely cream leather suite.... perhaps in another 10 years my dream may come true!

I would find it all so very distressing if I was remotely houseproud, but happily this has never been the case

Glad to see you are going to buy get secondhand again. I love to see things getting reused. We started life with a cast-off suite from my parents, then bought our own, then explanded our furniture with cast-offs from my brother (he thought they were tatty - to us they are shabby chic!!)

We've just expanded again with a brand new sofa we bought in a factory sale. We live near an area where a huge amount of upholstered furniture is made - Long Eaton on the Notts/Derby border. The factories round here have BARGAINS big-time, usually prototypes or samples they have produced for buyers from the big high street stores or that have been used in a showhome. You can pick up a sofa for 20-50% of its retail value.

colditz -try www.freecycle.org. and go to your local group
Great site that is basically there for people to recycle what they don't want -you can post things you have to offer for free or things you want. No money involved, just a way of passing things on that are too good for the tip.
Got rid of our sofa that way