I decided to make a couple mini ottomans to pull up to the coffee table when guests come over for game night. I keep them in my bedroom at the foot of the bed and pull 'em out as needed. I found this lovely vintage chevron canvas on etsy.
You can also find cute fabrics for kids, or find a simple pattern & use fabric paint to stencil their names on.
~ottoman~
*rectangle plywood
You will need at least 1" thick plywood cut to the dimensions you desire. They will cut it for you at Home Depot. When you have it cut, make sure the grain of the wood or lines are going horizontal. Mine were 12" x 17.5"
*furniture legs
They sell them on HomeDepot.com and they have a smaller selection in the store. I used 6" legs. They have a built in screw.
*wood glue
I used a wood glue to seal the legs
*Spray paint for the legs
Mat or glossy will do.
*fabric
should be a heavy weight upholstery fabric, but I used a canvas.
*foam
I used a 4" thick piece of foam. I had a huge piece a friend gave me, so I used a sharpie & serrated bread knife to cut the dimensions.
*foam batting to wrap around the the ottoman
*foam spray adhesive
*Staple gun
I just borrowed one from a friend
*Drill
Ok, so you have your cut rectangle plywood. Line up the legs where you want them and mark a dot with a sharpie. Leave enough room from the edge for the staple gun. At least a half inch. Now drill your holes. If you go all the way through it's okay. Just make sure you do it outside or on concrete- not your kitchen floor. Put the wood glue in the hole and around where the leg meets the wood. screw 'em in and wipe away excess glue. Set aside to dry.
After the legs are in and dry, spray paint them. Place some tape over the bottom of the legs if you are nervous about it rubbing off on carpet. I found it easier to paint them after you screw them in because they can dry easily. But it doesn't really matter.
Spray the surface of the rectangle with the foam glue and place your cut foam on top. This is just to keep the foam from sliding.
Then place your batting over the top of the foam and staple gun it down underneath. Place 2 staples in the middle of each side to start, and work your way out keeping the batting taut and ending on the corners. You will cut away excess batting later. for excess on the corner sides, I just cut some off, but make sure it goes over the wood to keep your fabric from directly touching the wood. It is a buffer to keep the fabric from ripping. Don't worry about the bottom looking sloppy. Who's going to turn it over? lol Cut away excess foam. This is my first one and it's pretty sloppy.
If you really want the bottom to look nice you can always hem the edges of fabric or use 2 pieces of wood and drill the fabric covered foam/wood to another sanded & painted piece of wood and drill the legs into that. That's if you are trying to sell them or something.
Make sure you have enough fabric to drape over on all sides plus a few extra inches. Better to have too much than not enough. Measure the 2 sides all around, then add 2 or 3 inches. Then drape it over inside out. Pin the corners of the fabric so it is a snug fit. Slip it off and sew the seam. Make sure it fits right side out before you cut away excess fabric.
When you think you have achieved a tight fit start stapling. Starting with a couple staples in the middle of the horizontal sides, then the middle of the vertical and so on...working your way out to the corners. The corners should be the last thing you staple. Fold excess and staple it down. Practice makes perfect. You can always use a butter knife to pull staples out if you make a mistake.
Variations
Make a bench with longer legs for the foot of bed, hallway, or kitchen table.
Find an old coffee table and use that as your base.
Have fun & Good Luck!
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