Pallet ottoman

Well I can never seem to throw any scrap wood away and for good reason.  You can always make something out of nothing.  Which brings me to my latest DIY project, made from the pallet from our new fireplace.  I have been wanting to make an ottoman for the living room for years and with the pallet wood I was finally able to create one. 

This was a fairly simple project, I just measured and

cut the pallet into pieces then nailed them together to look like this.

After making the frame I cut a 3/4 inch plywood piece to fit the top of the frame.  I topped this piece with  a 4 inch thick piece of foam covered with batting.  The fabric was a window panel from Lowe's that was $19.  The fabric is called Felicite and can also be found at Joann's fabric but it is $34 per yard there.....too expensive since I needed about two yards.  That is why I opted for the window panel, cheaper and more fabric!   This was my second tufting project.  It is quite easy, it just takes patience and can be a little tricky.  You need to get button covers ( sorry no photo)  they are little metal two piece buttons with teeth on the inside to grip fabric and a backer to hold in place.  After covering the buttons I decided on a layout and then drilled holes big enough for my upholstery needle (very long needle for passing through foam) in the plywood top.  This is where it gets a little tricky.  I laid the fabric out and the put the foam and plywood on top, I then carefully turned the entire thing on it's side so I could access the top and bottom.  From the back side push the threaded needle through the hole and into the foam, I then cut the thread and then tied it onto the covered button.  Then pull the thread from the back side while pushing the button into the foam the desired depth.

Repeat this step until all buttons are placed being careful to keep the loose fabric in it's correct position.

After all buttons are placed then carefully start to attach fabric and foam to plywood, I used staples.

After securing the upholstery top I then applied a trim to the bottom edge of the top and then secured it to the frame with L brackets.  I know the directions sound scary, but this is a very easy project although time consuming.