Scraplog

Guest Post: Making An Ottoman

Today I am going to share with you one of my favorite and latest DIYs.

For sometime now, I have wanted a large ottoman with tufting. There are so many gorgeous ones out there but none that were within my budget or exactly what I had in mind.

I started looking for a metal frame of some sort and thought that a coffee table frame that had once held a glass top might do the trick. One day, when out with Kellie, the perfect one was found. Now it’s been a while ago and I was before my “guest blogging days” so I’m sorry that I don’t have a before picture but I think you can come up with it in your head. It was shiny, fake brass and missing the glass top. No wonder they only wanted $5 for it!

To be honest it sat in my family room (which is more of a store room right now) for months. After all, we were working on the bones of the living room then – sheet rock, new stairs, painting, etc…., so there was no time or place to put an ottoman!

When it was finally time for the project I bought Krylon’s “Champagne Nouveau”. It’s a very soft gold color. I love it! I sanded the frame enough to rough it up so the paint would stick and gave it several light coats. Easy.

Next it was time to upholster the top. I had Warren cut a piece of plywood (left over from another project) to fit the top and then drill small holes in it where I wanted the tufting buttons to be. I used two layers of 2” foam (it was cheaper that way than 4” foam) and covered it with batting (about $20). The fabric was ordered from JoAnn’s Fabrics when they had a ½ off sale. You have to order a yard at a time and I didn’t need near that much but I figured that I would have some left for pillows and such. ($22 for the yard). Of course, if you had scraps of any of these or used a remnant piece of fabric it would really keep the cost down.
I stretched the fabric over both and did a tuck at the corners, stapling the fabric to the underside of the plywood. I actually used clear packaging tape over the raw edges of the fabric then, just so no threads would coming loose and hang down. You can’t see the tape when it’s finished unless you are laying on the floor, looking up! I then covered the buttons. That was where the work came in for me. I got the covered buttons at Walmart. ($15) They would not go together without popping right back off once the fabric was on. What should have been a short task turned into hours….. I have done many covered buttons before and have NEVER had this problem.

Anyway, I used carpet thread and 6” needle to put the buttons on and pull it tight in order to tuft it. The carpet thread is very tough and waxed so it went in better and didn’t need to go in and out of the button over and over. Besides, I already had it on hand! You need buttons on the bottom side, too, in order to keep the knot from slipping through the hole. This will make it secure. So, at 3:00 in the morning I called it a finished project and then…. the tops of the buttons started popping off :(
I went to bed frustrated and thinking of all the time I had wasted. The next day I stopped at the store and picked up an epoxy type glue (that works on fabric) and glued the suckers down! So far they have held on great!!!!! The glue is not an expense you would normally have to add on to this project!

Warren did fasten the top to the frame and, quite frankly, I’m not sure how he ended up doing that but I know it involves screws and the fact that I can’t see them!

I love the finished product.

Here’s another, small, upholstery project that I completed. I already had the bench so I painted it with some of the spray paint I got from Habitat ($1 a can!). It’s a paint for engines and goes on really smooth and even. I love the finish that it gives and it’s a great color but, warning, it smells terrible!!! (and yes, I had painted it inside!)

The fabric that I used came from Hobby Lobby and it is one that I used inside out. Remember Kellie’s earlier post?

And this little ottoman is what I want to trade Kellie for the velvet fabric that she picked up for $2.99!!!! Now I paid $5 for this guy so Kellie would be getting a deal! Come on – convince her it’s a good trade….!