No-Sew Ottoman Slipcover

Whenever I used to see a piece of clean lined furniture with a slipcover I used to think it looked like a fairly simple sewing project, one that I could tackle at home to save money. Why not give it a whirl, I thought. I have a black leather ottoman that would make a good first project. I headed over to the local fabric store and found a simple pattern. Or so I thought. I would need a degree in engineering from MIT to make heads or tails of said pattern. But did that stop me? No! I knew there had to be an easier solution.

I may have left the fabric store empty-handed, but my head was filled with ideas. I grabbed an old sheet, tossed it over the ottoman and got busy manipulating the fabric until I came up with a plan. Here is the cliff note version of what transpired:

I started by taking measurements for my piece. It was a perfect square.

Next, I cut a piece of fabric to those measurements, adding about an inch to each side, then centered it on top of my ottoman. (Before cutting, center the pattern for a professional look.)

Once I was sure the fabric was completely centered, I formed a pleat at each corner.

The extra triangular piece at each corner had to go. I used a yard stick and chalk pencil to mark the areas that needed to be removed.




After cutting off the excess fabric, I was left with something that resembled a stop sign. (Don't throw out those corner pieces, you'll need them later! You might notice that I left the salvage on, this was necessary as I needed every inch. No worries, it will get covered later.)



Using my BFF, Stitch Witchery (an iron-on fusible adhesive,) I added ribbon trim to the perimeter of the fabric. This required slightly more than one spool of ribbon. (Form mitered corners for a finished look. Oops, I forgot to take a picture of that!) After returning the fabric to the ottoman and making sure it was centered, I formed the pleats at the corners, pinned them in place and added a few hand stitches to make them stay put. (Be sure to measure down the same number of inches on each corner before adding your stitches.)

To cover my stitches, I made fabric covered buttons which I sewed directly over the stitches that I'd just made. The excess fabric that I cut off earlier was plenty to cover all four buttons. (Kits for covered buttons can be found at any fabric store.)

Okay, I fibbed a bit when I said "no-sew", there is the matter of sewing on a few buttons.

It's a bit difficult to see the button here, click on image to get a closer view.


The finished product!

Final thoughts

Once I figured out how I wanted to construct the slipcover, this was a very simple project. I'm confident that I could whip one up in about 90 minutes or less. Adding the trim is the most time consuming portion. Because the light in my great room is better than the room in which I plan to put the ottoman, I took the "finished product" photo there. While the blue of the ottoman clashed with the blues in that room, I immediately decided that I will be making another slipcover in the future and using this piece for my great room makeover. I'm thinking either solid white or navy with a navy and white Greek key trim.

It would be very simple to add your own flair to this project. A few suggestions:

-Use a solid fabric to avoid the need to center. (Regardless of what color or pattern you choose, be sure that it is heavy enough that you can't see through to the original fabric.)

-If using a solid, consider adding a patterned trim.

-If you have the skill, no trim would be necessary, just hem your cover instead.

-Instead of covered buttons, you could sew on some ribbon ties or make a tab to keep your pleats together.

-Instead of ribbon, use fabric tape available in multiple colors and styles. Another alternative would be blanket binding. It is affordable and one package would most likely be all you need.

-If you possess some basic sewing skills, consider using a contrasting fabric as your trim.

-If you are like me and love to change the look of your home with the seasons, create a pattern when you initially cut your fabric for your first cover. This will eliminate a few steps when creating the second cover.

-Don't have an ottoman, but still want to try this project? Consider buying an inexpensive cube. Target routinely has these on sale, sometimes marked on clearance for under $20. A couple of covered cubes could be tucked under a console table and used for extra seating in a pinch.


One final note: Most decorator fabrics are only 54-60 inches wide. For that reason, if you are working with a larger piece, you could use strips of a contrasting fabric for your trim to make up the difference.

If you decide to try this project, please e-mail me a picture. I'd love to see.