Ottoman Revival: A freebie gets a stunning facelift

Ottoman Revival: A freebie gets a stunning facelift

I love vintage furniture! I found a great little ottoman at an estate sale one summer. It was cute, round and green. It had a tiny tear in the vinyl that just needed a simple patching but I managed to get it thrown into my purchase pile for free, so it was a win all around!

However five minutes with my boys and the tiny tear turned into a huge rip. So away went the ottoman to be repaired. Fast forward an out of state move and three months in storage and the little ottoman final got the makeover it deserves. And the best part: it was completely free!

BEFORE

I started by taping the tears and cutting out some foam I had saved from a torn up crib mattress. I dug through my fabric stash and found this great shimmering aquamarine piece that I think I may have had for over ten years… I always knew it had great potential and being a closet hoarder paid off once again! :-D

I knew I wanted to duplicate the piping on the original design, but I wasn’t sure how to accomplish the task. Thanks to Pinterest I found this excellent tutorial on piping. Knowledge breeds confidence, fortified with this new confidence I dove in and got started. 

Per the tutorials instructions I used a zipper foot to stitch the piping together. I’m not sure I would have ever thought to use that foot on my own, but it worked perfectly to get a nice tight closure around the cord. 

I attached the piping to the straight section before pining both pieces to the round top section. 

Another excellent tip was to cut notches in the work as you go to release some of the tension in the fabric as you stitch around the circle. This step along with making sure to stay as closely as possible to the piping kept the final product laying smooth. 

After stitching all three pieces together I taped the foam in place on top of the ottoman and slipped on the new cover. I used a staple gun to secure it along the bottom. I took my time during this step making sure it was evenly pulled taut and smoothed out along the top edge of the piece. 

After finishing the stapling, I wanted to give it a bottom that glides easily across the wood floors, made with a fabric that wouldn’t unravel. I found a great felt piece. Unfortunately it was bright red, but since it was just the bottom I decided it would work.  I cut it to size, making sure to cover all the staples for the safety of our hardwood floors, and used a hot glue gun to secure it to the bottom. 

I recently purchased some stencils for a curtain project I am working on (Hopefully I will be sharing that with you next week!) and depending on how well that goes I may be adding some designs to this piece as well. For now I love how this little guy turned out. It's the perfect accent color in our living room and just the right size to put your feet up after a long day of Chasing Socks! 

AFTER

Thanks for stopping by! Looking forward to sharing my other projects with you soon. 

Until Next Time, 

Sonja