How To Reupholster an Ottoman

Thanks so much for all the nice comments on the family room changes!  I have enjoyed all of the projects you linked up and look forward to sharing some favorites tomorrow.  Also, if you haven't entered the giveaway or shared a recent project, there is still time.

Several of you asked about the ottoman and wondered if I would share how I reupholstered it.  This was such a simple project that anyone could do it!

The fabric that I used had a fairly large pattern and I wanted it to be centered on the ottoman.  For smaller patterns you don't need to worry about this part.

This may sound crazy, but when I upholster ottomans & stools, I like to turn them upside down and literally get on top of them.  This flattens the padding down and allows me to get a nice, tight result.  No one wants to flip the ottoman over to find that the fabric is droopy, right? 

Once I had the fabric positioned (centered), I began stapling every 3" or so, pulling and spreading the fabric as I went.  I always start in the center of the long sides and work my way toward each corner.  Then I do the same thing on the short sides stopping within a few inches of the ends.

Once all four sides are stapled, I pull the fabric tightly and staple as close to the end as possible (on the long end). 

Next, I take the fabric from the other side and pull it tightly making a nice, crisp fold.  Then I staple everything into place.

After everything is stapled, I cut off the excess fabric and finish the job by re-attaching the black cloth to the bottom.