Project Specs
Difficulty: Moderate
Tools: Sewing Machine, Staple Gun, Drill, Saw
Cost: $50-75
Time: An Afternoon (3-5 hours)
This ottoman is not as difficult as it may appear and for the cost, gives you a lot of bang for your buck. I’ve broken the project into five distinct sections to make it more approachable- each group of steps takes an hour or less and requires different tools and techniques so you can break it up over several sessions if you prefer.
Build The Form
The form will be the base of the ottoman and gives you a solid surface on which to staple your buttons. The holes for the buttons will be drilled before any foam is applied as a drill and foam do not play well together. Trust me on this one.
Materials:
- 12” Form Tube (Usually comes in 48” length in the concrete section at a building supply store. Designed to be used as the form to pour concrete piers. Diameter will actually measure about 12-3/4”.)
- 14” Cardboard Circle (Available anywhere that carries cake decorating supplies or cut your own from corrugated cardboard)
- Craft Glue
- Masking or Painters Tape
- Colored Markers
Tools:
- Hand Saw or Utility Knife
- Ruler
- Tape Measure
- Drill with 9/64” bit (or bit large enough for needle to pass through)
Step 1.
Cut tube 16” long. Measure around the tube with a tape measure and make a mark in approximately five places. (It helps to use a colored marker to make it stand out from the print on the form.) Use painter’s or masking tape to connect the five points to give you a nice straight, visible line to cut by. I found it easier to hold the tape taut and roll the tube. Use a wood saw or utility knife to cut the tube.
Step 2.
Measure and mark off three rows with tape using the same method you used in Step 1. Measure from the bottom (the uncut edge) for better accuracy. Mark the bottom row 5-1/8”, the middle row 9-3/4” and the top row 14-3/8”.
Step 3.
On the top row, start anywhere on the tube and mark every 4-1/2” around the tape, until you have made nine marks total. If the last mark is a little off (1/4” to 3/2”), just center it between the two adjoining marks. If it is off more than that, check your measurements and re-mark.
Step 4.
Place the tube, uncut side down, on a flat surface. Place the ruler’s end on the surface and draw a vertical line from the mark on the top row through the next two rows.
Step 5.
For the middle row, mark the center between the two vertical lines, which should be 2-1/4”.
Hot Tip:
It is nice to have a few different color markers available because if you mess up your marks like I did, you can change colors to keep track of your good marks.
Step 6.
Find the center of the cardboard circle that will become the top of the form. The easiest method is to cut a pattern from a piece of paper and fold it in half twice. Clip a tiny piece off of the point that is formed, unfold the pattern and lay it on the cardboard to mark the center. Draw a line through the center point to each edge. Draw another line perpendicular to that line (at 90 degree angle) again through the center point. Measure five inches from the center point along each of the four lines and make a mark.
Step 7.
Lay the cardboard circle wrong side up on a flat surface. Apply craft glue to the cut edge of the tube and set it on the circle, leaving approximately ¾” all the way around. Let dry completely.
Step 8.
Drill through all the marks you made on the tube and top, 31 total. Figure 1-4-C should look like the form you built.
Cover Form with Foam and Batting
In this section you will really begin to see the ottoman take shape, so keep on!
Materials:
- Spray Adhesive (I used a Headliner Adhesive available where I bought the foam. Any heavy duty spray adhesive will work. Make sure you do not use a repositional or temporary adhesive.)
- Medium Density Foam 2-1/2” thick x 17-3/4” in diameter
- Medium Density Foam 2-1/2” thick x 16” high x 50” long
- 1-1/2 yds ½ ounce polyester batting (will be approximately ?” to ¾” thick)
Tools:
- Serrated Bread Knife or Electric Knife to trim foam
- Needle & thread
Step 1.
Spray the sides of the tube thoroughly with spray adhesive. Be sure to do this in a well-ventilated area as it will put off some fumes.
Step 2.
Roll the long piece of foam around the tube, keeping it under the lip created by the cardboard circle. You may have to hold the foam in place for a minute or two to ensure it sticks, especially towards the ends of the foam where it will tend to flatten out and pull away from the tube.
Step 3.
Where the foam meets you may have to make some adjustments to the length. If the foam is too long, cut it to size with a bread knife or electric knife. If it is too short, you can glue more foam or batting in the “crack” to fill it in.
Step 4.
Before gluing the top foam on, use that piece of a pattern to cut out your round batting.
Step 5.
Spray the top of the form with adhesive and place the round piece of foam on top. Since foam stretches and squishes and your foam may not be cut to the exact size requested, you may have gap between the circumference of the top and the bottom. Just use some batting to even it out.
Step 6.
Cut a piece of batting 19” tall by 55” long. If your batting is not that wide, you can piece it if necessary.
Step 7.
Lay the round piece of batting on top of the form and wrap the other piece around the form. Stitch the batting together by hand where it meets on the side and around the top.
Sew Cover
Sewing the cylinder can be intimidating, but don’t panic. If you get frustrated during this section, put the project down and come back to it fresh at another time. I still don’t sew cylinders well when I am tired or I’ve worked on the same problem area for too long.
Material:
- 1-1/2 yards material
Tools:
- Sewing Machine
- Scissors
Step 1.
Cut three pieces of fabric for the cover: one rectangle 54-1/2” x 25-1/2” high, one rectangle 10-1/2” x 25-1/2” high and one circle 20-3/4” in diameter. See Figure 1-4-F for a cutting layout.
Hot Tip:
Make a pattern for your 20-3/4” circle so you don’t waste fabric from a bad cut. Take a piece of paper that is large enough (craft paper, old wrapping paper, newspaper) and pin to a bulletin board. Insert a thumbtack in the center, connect the thumbtack and a pin or marker with a string to make a radius of 10-3/8” and draw a circle.
Step 2.
Using a ½” seam allowance, sew the small and large rectangle together on the 25-1/2” side. Sew the other sides together to form a tube. If you are using a napped fabric, such as the velvet shown, make sure the nap is running the same direction on both pieces.
Step 3.
Sew the fabric tube you created in the last step to the fabric circle to create an open-ended cylinder. See Skills and Techniques “Sewing a Cylinder” for more details. Again, if your fabric is napped, ensure that the nap is running down– away from the top.
Staple Cover to Form
Material:
- Staples
Tools:
- Staple Gun
Step 1.
Pull the cover over the form. The cover will be slightly larger than the form, so make sure the top falls evenly over the edge (is not lopsided).
Step 2.
Pull the fabric down snugly and tuck up inside the cardboard tube. Staple with a staple gun. Repeat all around the ottoman. For more details, see Skill and Techniques “Working around Curves”. See Figure 1-4-G to see how the bottom of your ottoman should look.
Add the Button Tufting
These steps are a little tedious because of the quantity of buttons involved, but these are the steps that definitely add the wow-factor to your project.
Materials:
- 12 yards Tufting Twine
- 31 Size 45 Cover Buttons (1-1/8”) with Shanks
- ¼ yard fabric
Tools:
- Double Pointed Upholstery Needle
- Replacement Pusher for Cover Button Kit (PVC Riser ¾” x 4” in the sprinkler section of your building supply store- runs less than $1. Or you can use object that fits into the back of the button that won’t bend or collapse and gives you enough height to hold in your hand while you hammer it.)
- Rubber Mallet (to ensure the button back is on securely)
- Scissors
Step 1.
Make 31 cover buttons following the instructions and patterns on the button kit. Don’t be afraid to use a hammer or rubber mallet to ensure that the button backs are on securely.
Step 2.
Start tufting on any of the four holes in the top of the ottoman. See Skills and Techniques, “Button Tufting”. See Figure 1-4-H.
Step 3.
Continue this technique for the rest of the holes on the top.
Step 4.
Continue tufting along the sides of the ottoman. Work from top to bottom and then around the ottoman.
Step 5.
After all the buttons have been placed, if you need to adjust the fabric folds at the bottom of the ottoman, you may remove the necessary staples holding the fabric, smooth the fabric and restaple. Voila! You have a new tufted ottoman.
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