Wow! I actually got another small project done yesterday! I managed to reupholster an ottoman. But before I get to that and if you are confused and thought this was a blog about gardening, etc., it is. You are in the right place, but since winter is approaching and I’m in the house more, I’m sharing the multitude of projects that have been stacking up during the year just waiting for winter to arrive.

On to the ottoman…I think I have mentioned that when I moved from Texas to my little bungalow in South Carolina, the scale of my furniture was way off. (Yes, everything IS bigger in Texas. It’s not a myth.) I brought with me a brown leather, oversized ottoman that we use instead of a coffee table. But now it just looks like a great big dark brown blob in the middle of the living room. It needed an overhaul!

Reupholstering the ottoman was not on my must-do, right-away list until this last weekend when I came across a bargain on some fabric. I found a remnant of upholstery fabric that coordinates with my curtain fabric. It usually sells for $78 per yard but I paid only $3 per yard!  Major WOW! In my line of thinking, if I screwed it up or hated it, I’m only out a few bucks!

Curtain fabric above. Ottoman fabric below.

Yesterday was cold, dark, and dreary…the perfect day for a reupholstery party! (Unfortunately it wasn’t a great day for pictures.) It was a pretty easy task, and I am happy with the results. So here we go…

I started with this brown leather ottoman. It was too dark for the space and had suffered some scratches from those furry friends who live with me.

This is the finished ottoman. All new and shiny.

Follow along and I’ll take you step-by-step through this process.

How to Reupholster an Ottoman in Six Easy Steps

1.) Separate the base from the cushion.

First, I turned the ottoman upside down and unscrewed the base. This allowed me to separate the frame and legs from the cushion. I removed the old welting–saving the cord–and left everything else intact. I chose not to remove the leather so it would act as a cover for the foam.

2.) Fit the fabric.

I laid my fabric wrong side up on top of the cushion. I wanted a very neat, fitted look, so I pinned the corners of the fabric to sew. This is instead of tucking the fabric under and having gathered corners.

3.) Sew and trim the corners.

I first basted the corners and then placed the fabric back onto the cushion to make sure it fit properly before stitching the corners in place. This creates a triangle that you will trim.

I then trimmed the excess fabric near the seam and pressed the seam open.

4.) Staple the fabric onto the cushion frame.

Turning the fabric right side out, I fit the fabric cover onto the cushion. At this point, you could simply hem the cover to make a slipcover for the ottoman that is easy to remove to clean or replace.

Notice how neat the corners are.

I stapled the cover onto the cushion frame making sure that I lined up the stripes on the ends and pulled the fabric snug.

Then I trimmed off the excess fabric before stapling the corners in place to avoid too much fabric bulk.

5.) Make welting and staple in place.

Using the scraps of fabric and the cord I saved from the original leather welting, I sewed new welting. The fabric you use to sew the welting does not have to be cut perfectly making this a very quick and easy task. Just fold the fabric with the cord in the fold and stitch as close to the cord as possible.

I stapled the welting in place making sure the cord does not sit flush with the sides of the cushion but extends out.

6.) Reattach the base and legs.

Finally, I reattached the base and legs onto the cushion for a finished look. And that, my friends, is how I managed to reupholster an ottoman in six quick steps for under $5!

Next project…slipcovers for some Pottery Barn armless chairs and the dining room parson chairs.

What projects do you have planned for the winter?

Looking forward to a productive winter!