The Sewing Place

What interior to use for a bench cover

annieeg

What interior to use for a bench cover
« on: February 10, 2019, 10:13:57 AM »
I have two gorgeous English Springer Spaniel dogs who sleep on a long sofa in our hall (we have a ridiculously spacious hall but tiny kitchen!! :( ).
I've bought washable throws but because of the size of the sofa the throw I use is HUUUUUGE and very awkward to keep washing and drying. :'(
I thought of making a matching long cushion the length and width of the sofa seats so that could be laundered more frequently and be easier to manage.
I'm thinking of a lightweight foam/sponge type of product for the interior of the cushion - I'm imagining about 1.5" deep if such a thing exists.
Does anyone have any ideas? 
(The whole point is that I can put the entire cushion in the washing machine, rather than remove the cover only.)
 :woof: :woof:
TIA
Annieeg

Greybird

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2019, 10:26:45 AM »
You can get foam cut to size on Ebay. However I'm not sure it would be practical to put a large piece of foam in a washing machine. I think it might come out distorted. As it's only for dogs to sleep on, what about using two poly fibre pillows end to end inside the case? You could take one out and wash it and then put the other, still inside the case, in the machine. Alternatively you could empty out the pillow filling into your case.

snoozi soozi

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2019, 11:12:46 AM »
@annieeg as a fellow dog owner i feel your pain. I've seen a similar idea to what @Greybird mentioned, where you take a few pillows and stitch a long cover for them. Lay them in a line and 'section' the cover so the pillows slip inside the cover at one side. I'm maybe not explaining it very well, hopefully somebody else will come along with an idea of what I mean and give you tips....   ><
Let it sew, let it sew, let it sew

SewRuthieSews

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2019, 11:35:24 AM »
If there is a dunelm near you they do different sizes of foam which can be used in seat cushions.
In my area there is also a stall on the open air market who does this.

I'm not a dog owner though so can't comment on the practicality of regularly washing foam.

fajita

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2019, 11:42:56 AM »
Our dog had a cheap duvet as a cover for the sofa. They can be very lightweight and dry easily in the tumble dryer. You could get a couple and use on rotation.

sewingj

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2019, 11:45:29 AM »
I should think one of those summerweight duvets that you can pick up in supermarkets would be easier to wash than a length of foam - I know my washing machine wouldn`t be able to cope with that - it start creeping across the kitchen if I put a heavy towel in it!

Greybird


annieeg

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2019, 12:03:59 PM »

Greybird

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2019, 12:24:10 PM »
Yes that's a much better one @annieeg . I just happened to have seen the Scotts' one this morning in their catalogue which was in yesterday's paper.

Esme866

Re: What interior to use for a bench cover
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2019, 17:33:56 PM »
Most foam would not wash well. Sort of like a sponge - they retain dirt and grime (one of the nastiest things you can use for washing dishes.)

My sister has had very good luck with washing polyester filament bed pillows. They will fluff back up and dry in the dryer. She'll wash them 2-3 times instead of buying new ones each time the way she used to.

If you don't want to wash slip covers because they are hard to get back in, they can be placed in very large yard trash bags, use a vacuum to remove all of the air, place them inside the cleaned cover and let the air back in. Its how I do cushions when I reupholster. I use very cheap yard bags, as they have to be torn/pulled out and the cheaper ones are easier to remove.