How to Reupolster an Ottoman

A few weeks ago I took a walk on the wild side by reupholstering an ottoman in a zebra fabric. That plus my zebra rug have added up to a risky spring for me! But I’m loving the visual interest these patterns have created in my home and I’m quite proud of myself for trying out something I normally wouldn’t.

Today I want to show you how to reupholster an ottoman, step by step. To do this, these are the things you’ll need:

An ottoman
Fabric of your choice to cover it
Piping, also known as cording if your piece requires it, or you just want it on there
Foam
Batting
Sewing machine and thread
Paint, if needed
Staple gun; Flathead screwdriver; Pliers; Band aids if you get stabbed by a staple 🙂
Muscles to pull the fabric on!

1. First, start with a ottoman that’s seen better days. I got this one for $10 at a thrift store.

2. Then you take that baby apart! Well, you take off the old fabric and foam and toss them aside to use for a pattern later if you’d like {otherwise you can just measure}.

There will be lots of staple pulling here. Don’t hesitate, just pull them all out.

3. After that you can paint the piece if that’s your style. I sprayed this one with Heirloom White by Krylon. See it there in the back?

4. Once you’re happy with the paint job you can get to work on putting it back together. I cut new foam to size for the top and covered it with some batting to round out the edges. There are may types and thicknesses of foam out there, choose the one you think will work. I would error on the thick side because it always will get squished down.

I didn’t staple the batting on with this piece, I let the fabric do the work. Speaking of, now is when you get your favorite fabric ready.

5. To make the top I just cut a piece with a one inch allowance for sewing it together. My piece had a top piece, a strip of piping and then a strip of fabric which is the part that got stapled to the bottom of the piece.

6. To make the cording, I cut some pieces about 2 inches wide on the bias, meaning diagonally,

7. Sewed them together to make long strips for the cording,

8. Then I sewed the cording in. This was the very first time I made this and I’m pleased it came out so well!

For other tutorials on exactly how to do this visit: Miss Mustard Seed, Miss Mustard Seed video, The Cottage Home or Design Sponge.

9. Now, back to the fabric. Once you cut the sizes of the pieces you need for your piece and have made any cording you need, you’ll pin the pieces together to sew them.

Lay the correct sides together and line them up.

You’ll end up with something kind of like this.

To close off the cording where it meets just lay it on top of itself.

10. And it will come out like this when you sew it.

11. Now, carefully sew your pieces together and then you’ve got your fabric to cover your soon-to-be-new ottoman!

12. After that comes the need for muscles. Grab a friend if you must, don’t be shy. Just put that fabric on, wrap it around the back and pull! And staple of course 🙂

For more how to on that, read up at Pretty Handy Girl, ModCloth Blog, or Just a Girl.

To finish off the underneath of the piece, you can put on a piece of inexpensive fabric, sometimes a thicker blend. I measured this one out and stapled it on around the entire underside of the ottoman.