I am nesting so bad right now, trying to knock out some projects I've been meaning to get to around the house before I hone in on the girls' rooms. One of my top priorities was recovering this hand-me-down ottoman we've had for several years, which had an ugly, lumpy chocolate brown cover over it.
To make this cover, which I'm really excited about, I mostly looked to this tutorial on the Dear Lillie blog, but because my machine is too basic to have a function that automatically does ruffles I used this tutorial at Addicted 2 Decorating to make box pleats for the bottom. I used two and a half yards of a cotton-spandex fabric, and I spent $40 on that, although I'm sure I could have found a better deal had I looked somewhere other than Nashville's most expensive (and most kick ass) fabric store. Luckily I already had the brown trim back from when I was making these scarves like it was my job.
Was it the wisest thing for me to pick a white fabric to use when I have a toddler and two dogs? Nope, it wasn't. But when company is not here, I keep a blanket draped over the top. (Don't ask Nekos what he thinks about that.) Plus, it's machine washable when it comes down to that. And, as a friend pointed out, how comfy does this sitting area look for snuggling with a new baby pretty soon?
What made all this work so well, I think, is this vintage bedspread that one of my mom's best friends gave me last week. (Thank you so much, Susan!) It's been in her family for ages, and one trip to the laundromat made it good as new and blotted out the huge, dark brown arm chair that's been bothering me for the longest.
It looks kinda fancy, but this was actually a really easy project for a sewer like me with just the basic skills and tools. I probably spent about four or five hours total on it, but divided it over a couple of days. I totally recommend taking it on if you, too, have an ottoman that hurts your eyes.
