Ottoman Tutorial

As promised, here is the Tutorial for the Ottoman that we built and was showed here in a previous post. I apologize that I have limited pictures, but I never dreamed that anyone would want a detailed tutorial, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

You will need the following supplies and I will let you know where I purchased them and the cost:

2x4's (12 ft total) = $4.50
3/4" plywood or any depth you would like = FREE (we had left over at house)
Screws = FREE (leftover at house)
Legs (4) = $40.00 (Ebay because I wanted a specific style)
Furniture Leg Brackets (4) = (FREE already had)
4" Foam = $55.00 ( Joann's with 50% off coupon)
1.5 yds leather or vinyl = $25.50 (Joann's with 50% fabric sale)
Tufting Buttons (9 total) = $9.00 (Joann's)
Spray Adhesive = FREE (leftover at house)
Batting (optional) = FREE (leftover at house)
Staple Gune = FREE (already had)
Needle, Thread and Wax Thread (optional) = FREE (already had)

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT:    $134.00

I made our ottoman 36"x36":

• Cut the 2x4's three feet each, adjoining them with the screws to make a frame for the ottoman.
• Cut plywood into 36" square and attach it to the frame.
• This is where we went a step futher and made braces for the corners to make it sturdy. Cut (4) triangles for the corners on top of the frame. Then place a wood wedge (we used leftover 2x4's) and screw under triangle edge. This will add tremenous structure, so it will be able to have people sitting on it and in our case, kids crawling and jumping on it.

• After your frame is built, make your holes where you'd like your buttons to go. My husband is the math wiz, so he measured a drew a graph on the plywodd and the drilled the holes. (I think he just doesn't want me to touch his tools) :)

• Spray top of frame with spray adhesive and attache the foam. We used an electric knife to cut the foam in a clean cut.
• We went a step further here too and added batting around the edges, covering the 2x4's. This is optional, but it give it a seamless look.
• Next came the part when I was crying and wanting cheese fries-attaching the vinyl to the tufting button kits. Because this is much thicker than fabric, we ended up HAND stitching these onto the button forms and then clamping the backs on. This was NOT easy and I'm thankful my husband is a very patient person, because I was ready to give up!
• I then marked on the vinyl where I wanted the buttons to go and use my husband's leather awl to make a clean hole and threaded the buttons through using wax thread. We used wax thread because it is almost unbreakable and you can mold and move it around wherever you'd like.
• I then laid the vinyl over the foam and stood the ottoman on its side. We used a metal grilling scewer (yes, we were desperate and looking for something with a sharp edge) to get the thread through the foam. This worked great!!
• We set the ottoman up onto sawhorsed to get a better angle and while I pushed the buttons where I wanted them, my husband stapled the thread down on the back. This will only work with wax thread used in leathermaking, not nylon thread. If you used a nylon thread, you'll need to use a button on the back as well to have something to attach to.
• We then pulled tight and I mean TIGHT the vinyl to stretch and staple to the back. We did the corners last and folded and placed them neatly. We were going to sew the corners, but I just wanted to get it done and it still looks great! Then we trimed any access vinyl or batting sticking out, making it look clean.
• We attached the metal furniture plates on the bottom corners where the braces were to screw the legs into.

• Screw the legs onto the braces and YOU ARE DONE! Flip it over and ENJOY!!

I did purchase nailhead trim by the yard online for $19.95 for 10 yards, but I decided as of now, I like it the way it is; simple and clean. But it's always there should I ever choose to add it.

I know that some of the things I already had at home, but you can purchase the rest very inexpensively. I also had the advantage that my husband used to own a leather shop, so he is very handy when it comes to these types of projects, but I still think anyone can do this, just improvise if you need to and be very patient, it's not a quickie project.

Thanks again for all of your comments and questions and feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.

Linking up to: The Lettered Cottage, Perfectly Imperfect