Instructions on Upholstering a Round-Cornered Ottoman

Remove the existing fabric from your ottoman, beginning with the underside, where fabric is normally stapled to hold into place. You may want to take photos before and during this process -- to refer to when attaching the new upholstery. Do not cut into the fabric as you remove it. Instead, preserve the fabric so that it can serve as your cutting pattern for the new upholstery fabric.

Label each piece of upholstery fabric as you remove it by identifying it on the wrong side with your marking pen or pencil. Be sure to write the piece's location on the ottoman, as well as which side faces the front of the ottoman. If your ottoman does not have a discernable front or back, choose a side to be the front and write this on the bottom of the ottoman frame, where it will not be seen once it is upright.

Cut the seams holding any of the remaining fabric pieces together, using the seam ripper.

Lay out your new fabric on a flat working surface and cut the new upholstery pieces, using the old fabric as a template. Be sure to line up any stripes or patterns so that they will lay correctly on the finished ottoman. If the rounded corners of any of the original upholstery fabric pieces have been trimmed very close to the original stitching, do not trim the corners of the new pieces in the same way. You will be able to trim the corners in a similar manner once the new upholstery is secured to your ottoman.

Label the new upholstery pieces in the same way as the original fabric. Be sure to write within the seam allowances so that any any marker bleed-through doesn't show on the visible fabric.

Pin the new upholstery pieces together and place them on your ottoman. Pinch and pin the corners on the curved edges of your ottoman so that the fabric falls along the same design lines as the original upholstery. Refer to your digital photos, if necessary. Do not trim any extra fabric at this time. If the curved edge needs to be pleated and sewn before being attached to the ottoman's frame, pin the pleats in place before removing it from the ottoman.

Remove the fabric from the ottoman and sew the pieces together, starting with the top pieces of your ottoman and working toward the floor. If your ottoman has tailored curved edges sewn into the fabric, trim the seam allowance to prevent bulky seams from showing through to the right side of the fabric.

Place the sewn upholstery onto your ottoman to check the fit of the curved edges. If any alterations need to be made, do them at this time. The curved edges should fit snugly against the upholstery foam. If they stick out, pin them so that the seam allowances are larger. This step may require some slight stretching of the fabric to get it on the ottoman, but it will result in tidy, curved edges.

Staple the upholstery to the ottoman's frame, starting with the top pieces and working down the ottoman to the floor. Begin at the midpoint of one side of the ottoman, pulling the fabric taut and staple. Staple the opposite side next so that the fabric is taut and unwrinkled across the top of the ottoman.

Continue to staple around the edge of the ottoman, securing the fabric all the way around the frame and placing the staples about 1 to 2 inches apart.