Ottoman slipcover

This ottoman slipcover was fairly straightforward.  The only unusual thing about it was making the top out of four pieces so that the design was "up" from each side.  But this helped contour the top, so is a practice I will consider doing for any rounded top, even when the design does not require it.

Here is the "before" picture.  The ottoman measures 37.5" on each side.









The pieced top.  The four triangular pieces came together in the middle.  I topstitched the seam allowances to give a flat appearance.







After attaching cording to the top and side and sewing the sides to the top.








I lined the skirts.  This picture shows mitering the corners on the inside after sewing the lining to the bottom and sides.

The serging is visible here as well.  As a rule, I serge all edges either right after cutting or after completing a seam.



This picture was taken after I basted on the skirt.  I decided it wasn't long enough, so I removed it and lowered it an inch.  Now it just grazes the floor.

You can (barely) see the cover button attached to the top center.  You can also see the separate skirt corner pieces that give it a pleated look.




A closer picture of the top.  The increased seam allowance toward the corners of the ottoman helps it lie flat and follow the contours of the top.  The slipcover is just loose enough to pull on easily, but snug enough to be fitted.  The client was "well pleased" !!

Leather Cushion Slipcover

This project was to slipcover the seat and back cushions from a red leather chair.  Adding to the fun was the fact the cushions were attached with a zip-apart connector to keep them from slipping.  So instead of a zippered or overlapped opening, I would need to leave an open edge where the connector was attached to each piece.

Here is the "before" picture.  The seat cushion is on the left, the back cushion on the right.  They are unzipped at the moment, but you can see the flap on the seat cushion that zips to the bottom of the back cushion.

Since the back cushion was an odd shape, I first made a pattern out of muslin.  I cut pieces of the muslin and pinned them together to fit.  When I got the fit right, I marked the seams with chalk.

I unpinned the muslin and cut proper seam allowances next to the chalk lines.  The next step was to baste the pieces together and do a test (left).

Making a pattern like this is a lot of trouble, not the least of which is undoing the basting so you can use the pattern to cut out the face fabric (which is actually spread out underneath the cushion in these pictures).  But if this client ever needs another slipcover for these pieces, I will be able to use the pattern again!

Cutting out pieces for both cushions and their cording took some planning due to the size of the pieces and the fabric design having an "up."  And I wanted to ensure the seat cushion and back cushion lined up, design-wise.

Here is the finished top.  The slipcover fit snugly, but not too snugly. You can't see it here, but the bottom edge of this cushion is open to allow the connector to attach.

 Here is the finished seat.  I also made a muslin pattern for it.

 The two pieces connected together.  They turned out well, I thought.

Ottoman Cover for Plastic Container for Camper Storage

Wow, I have been busy the last few weeks, and unfortunately got behind on my posts.  The smaller projects have included hemming a tablecloth, making pillow shams, making a lined drape panel, making stuffed animals, and various clothing and crochet projects.  The project I will describe here is one to solve a storage problem on our camper -- thinking of better ways to handle storage being a popular obsession for campers!

Liking to kill two birds with one stone wherever possible, I wanted the storage to double as an ottoman, since I like to prop my feet up sometimes.  So I decided to take a plastic container, add a cushion to the top, and dress it up as an ottoman.

Here are my materials:  the container, foam for the cushion, cording, and upholstery fabric I found on the remnants table.

The foam deserves a little explanation.  Foam comes in various thicknesses - this is 4" - but usually comes in squares.  This piece was a 22" square.  To get it to fit the shape of the container, I first cut it to the right width (17"), then used 4" of the 5" strip that was cut off to add to the length to make it 26".  I had just a couple of little blocks left over.  I used a kitchen electric knife to make the very presentable cuts, and used glue to attach the two pieces.  It will hold its glued shape well, especially inside a tight cushion cover.

After measuring the container, I cut the fabric - a top piece that follows the shape of the contaner lid, 4 rectangular pieces for the sides, 4 pieces for the skirts, two pieces to form an overlapped opening under the cushion, and cording.  The covered cushion, with its attached skirt, will sit on top of the plastic container.



As a first step, I loosely basted the cording.  By keeping the cording a little loose, I know that this first stitching will not show on the outside when I make the final stitching.  (By loose, I mean I did not stitch very closely to the cord.)

Here I attach cording to the top piece.  I am still basting with long stitches, and not sewing too close to the cord.  The tighter, closer stitches will come when I do the final stitching in this area - when I attach the sides.

 After attaching the sides around the top, making sure the seams that connected the side pieces align with the corners of the top, I topstitched around all sides to hold the seam allowances down.

After attaching the sides, I attached the hemmed skirt pieces.  Notice the skirts overlap.  The two end skirt pieces are under the side skirt pieces, which lap around the ends a couple of inches.

After attaching the skirt pieces, I sewed on the overlapping bottom pieces.  The seams have gotten a little thick at this point, but fortunately my machine can handle it!

 I knew it would be tight getting the foam inserted through the opening underneath.  But I got it in.  Who needs a gym, anyway, with this kind of workout available?

As a last task, I cut a piece of batting and inserted it to lie on top of the foam to give a softer appearance to the cushion top.  Not easy, but easier than trying to manage inserting the foam if I had already attached it!

The finished ottoman. The fabric was a perfect match for our camper upholstery!

Besides being a handy footrest/coffee table, it will allow us to keep some things handy without adding to the clutter.  We think the ottoman will be a good place to put our laptops and other electronics when not in use.