Directions to Upholster a Tufted Ottoman

Equipment

• Ensure that your tools are designed specifically for upholstery. Needles and thread meant for sewing clothes may be too weak, and will cause your tufting to come loose. Use needles that are at least 8 to 12 inches long----these are sometimes sold as "tufting needles." Thread your needles only with "button twine," a heavy-duty nylon thread that won't fray once the ottoman is in use.

  Use decorative upholstery buttons rather than shirt or jacket buttons. The bottoms of upholstery buttons are outfitted with a metal loop, or "shank." A good shank will help keep your tufting firmly in place.

Execution

• Plan before you sew. Tufting is often arranged in a diamond or grid pattern. Mark each place a button will be inserted into the ottoman with an "x," and ensure these x's are evenly spaced; small differences in the distances between buttons can come to look like large irregularities after the ottoman is tufted.

  Place a piece of nylon cord between the bottom of each button and the surface of the ottoman. Otherwise, buttons may fray and come loose. Ensure that each button is pulled to the same depth against the frame of the ottoman before tying off the button. If buttons are tufted at different depths, the surface of the ottoman will become uneven, and the upholstery fabric will not lie correctly.