A reader's letter
I spent years hiding my sofa under old throws. Now it's the first thing people notice.
Our sofa is a good one. We bought it the year we retired, cream fabric, the sort you sit on in the shop and think you'll keep forever. Then came two spaniels, four grandchildren and a great many cups of tea.
For a long time my answer was a pile of throws. A blanket over the back, a towel where the dogs sleep, another one over the arm where somebody once spilt blackcurrant. Every time anyone sat down, the whole lot slid onto the floor and I'd be tucking it back in before they'd finished saying hello.
I'd chosen every cushion in that room with care, and then covered the sofa in odd towels.
A quilt, not a cover
What changed my mind was a patchwork. Not a stretchy grey slipcover, which is what I'd always pictured, but a proper quilted cover in squares of burgundy, mustard, olive and cream, stitched together like a well-loved country quilt. It looked like something a grandmother would have made, and it fitted over the seat and the back of the sofa in one piece.
It's called Hettie, in what the shop calls a rustic refined style, from Rosie Cottage, a little shop from Leeds. I measured the sofa including the arms, as the shop suggests, and picked the closest of the five sizes.
The first proper test
It came by Royal Mail, and the first thing I did was put it on and invite the family round for Sunday lunch. The dogs claimed their end within minutes. My granddaughter sat on it with a bowl of crisps. And my son, who has never once commented on a soft furnishing in his life, asked whether I'd bought a new sofa.
"Did you get a new sofa, Mum?" No, love. Same sofa. Better coat.
Three things I've noticed
First, the hair and the spills land on the quilt, not the sofa. That's what it's designed for, and it's exactly how it works in a house with dogs and grandchildren.
Second, it goes in the washing machine. Cold, delicate cycle, then a low tumble or a line on a dry day. It comes off and goes back on far more easily than three separate throws ever did.
Third, it changes the whole room. In autumn it sits with the pumpkins by the fire. In December, next to the tree, it looks as if it was made for Christmas.
About the price
I'd have guessed a handmade-looking quilt this size would cost a small fortune. Mine, for a three-seater, was £64.95. The armchair size starts at £39.95 and even the big oversize one is £69.95. Delivery is free, and there's a discount if you buy more than one, handy if the armchair needs matching.
Buy more, save more
The discount is applied automatically at checkout.
- 2 covers10% off
- 3 covers15% off
- 4 or more covers20% off
Free delivery with Royal Mail. 30-day money-back guarantee.
What other customers say
The dogs approve, and so do I
Our two terriers sleep on the sofa every afternoon. Now the hair ends up on the quilt instead of the cushions, and it all comes off in the wash.
Looks like a family heirloom
The patchwork colours are lovely in real life. It brightened up a very tired brown sofa.
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Bought the armchair size too
Ordered the sofa size first, then went back for the armchair so they'd match. The multi-buy discount made that an easy decision.
Measure before you order
Measure your sofa including the arms and pick the closest size, as the shop says. Once I did that, it fitted nicely.
What I'd tell you over a cuppa
If your sofa spends its life hidden under towels and blankets, it's worth a look. A cover won't change your life. But it's nice to sit down at the end of the day on something that looks cared for, even with a spaniel on the other end.
The old throws went to the dogs' basket. They don't seem to mind.
Ann
Hettie – Quilted Sofa Cover, Rustic Refined Style
From £39.95
- Quilted patchwork in warm rustic tones
- Covers the seat and back; helps keep pet hair and spills off the sofa
- Five sizes: Armchair 183 x 193 cm (£39.95), Recliner 208 x 183 cm (£44.95), Two-Seater 239 x 193 cm (£54.95), Sofa 290 x 193 cm (£64.95), Oversize 320 x 193 cm (£69.95)
- Machine washable cotton and polyester blend
- Free delivery with Royal Mail
- 30-day money-back guarantee
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