How to Build a Rope Ottoman

Place a larger plastic milk crate upside down over a round plywood circle. You can find both milk crates and plywood circles at home improvement stores. The circles should be larger than the top of the milk crate.

Drill holes through the milk crate and wood circle. Place bolts through the wood and crate and secure with nuts. Repeat for the top and bottom side of the crate.

Spray the top wood circle with spray adhesive and press cushion foam onto the circle. Cut the foam around the circle using an electric carving knife. You can use a serrated knife as an alternative.

Fold quilt batting so that it is 8 to 10 inches thick and long enough to wrap around the sides of the ottoman. Stitch the ends together with needle and thread to hold the batting in position. Fold quilt batting so that it is 4 inches thick and long enough to wrap around the padded ottoman. Wrap over the first set of batting. Pull your second batting wrapping tight and shape it over the ottoman to make a round shape similar to a tomato. Tuck additional fill or batting into any soft spots or holes to fill out the shape. Sew the ends of the batting together to make the wrapping secure.

Place a single layer of batting large enough to cover the entire ottoman on the work table. Position the ottoman foam side down over the batting. Pull the batting firmly to the underside and staple. Staple from top to bottom, left to right. Turn the ottoman a few inches and repeat until the batting is stretched firm and stapled tight. Trim off the excess batting.

Cut a piece of heavy-duty burlap on the work table that is larger than the ottoman. Staple the burlap to the ottoman following the same technique used with the batting.

Whip the tail of your rope. Thread an upholstery needle with heavy duty thread. Insert the needle through the rope 1 inch from the end. Keep the end of the rope taped until you reach the tape. Bring the thread around the rope three or four passes keeping the threads evenly lined up. Pass the needle through the center of the rope and wrap three or four more times. Continue the piercing and wrapping process until you reach 1/8 inch from the end of the rope. Tie off your thread.

Place the whipped end of the rope on the top center of the ottoman. Thread a larger, curved upholstery needle with brown heavy-duty thread that matches the color of the burlap and rope. Knot the end of the thread. Bring the needle up through the burlap catching a small section of the rope fiber that is close to the burlap. Sew a few stitches securing the whipped section to the burlap.

Bend the rope away from you into a sharp 90-degree turn. Use a clamp to hold the rope against the section you sewed down. Continue stitching around the outside bottom of the rope attaching it to the burlap. When you reach the end of the clamped area, bend the rope around the two pieces of sewn rope. Use the clamp to hold the rope if this makes it easier when you sew. Continue spiraling the rope outward and stitching it to the burlap, moving across the top and down the sides until the entire ottoman is covered.

Tape your rope before cutting it. Whip your end. Stitch the end of the rope along the bottom outside edge of the ottoman. Turn the ottoman upside down. Cut a circular piece of burlap wide enough so that you can turn the edges under 1/2 inch and staple over the underside of the ottoman. This will give your bottom a nice finish.