A long time client of mine reached out to see if could make her vision come to life. She had the picture, the fabric picked out and the faith in me and my blossoming interest in upholstery to get it done. So on one of my trips to northern Virginia, I picked up the ottoman, brought it back to my workroom at the lake and got started.

I planned the design taking into consideration the stripe placements on the ottoman, ordered the fabric, the Skirtex (the stiff stuff in the skirts), and hunted down some leather that would work for the signature handles of the inspiration picture.

Starting with the tear down, I stripped the layers. Before building the ottoman back up, it is important to inspect the bones and construction of the interior to see what could make the ottoman better. The ottoman was well made but needed to be fluffed up a bit with a layer of Dacron wrap. Now the fun part!

Following the pieces of the original upholstery, I carefully planned the layout of the cut pieces to ensure the lines would match up and being careful not to waste any fabric. I would use the brown stripe of the fabric to make the cording that would go around the top and center of the ottoman. When all was said and done, I had very little fabric left over. A little too close for comfort for me.

I prepped the pieces, lining the top and sides, making the skirt pieces layered with Skirtex and lining, serging all pieces, made the brown cording, cut and sewed the leather handles on the lined and back supported side panels and wrapped the ottoman with fresh Dacron. And piece by piece, little by little, carefully put it back to together all along the way, making sure the lines matched up.

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And just like that (ha!), it’s done. A completely different look for this little ottoman. Now her inspiration became my inspiration. I have a little ottoman that will get a similar look soon.

Until next time,

Denise