This is a simple “How to” giving you the steps you need to sew a slipcover for your Target Ottomans. Which I feel a large majority of people have purchased since their release at Target. I have to say I was never a huge fan of the muted seersucker print. It does suit almost every home, but I felt I needed more of a pop in mine!
If you have no idea what ottoman I am talking about it is the Lynwood Square Cube. What’s great is that it is very affordable, at $100 a cube. And with the shape it makes it super versatile with this tutorial to forever change its look with new covers!
I just have to say first that I am NOT a seamstress nor am I an upholsterer. I do have the ability to sew somethings, but this tutorial is truly just straight lines and making sure to measure twice prior to cutting. Taking the time to know the placement of your fabric and using pins to pin it together!
First, you need to decide on the fabric that you want to use. You can truly use anything, but I would highly recommend you using an upholstery type fabric. They are easier to work with when sewing and they have a thicker fabric content.
I chose to use a fabric from Serena and Lily, specifically their Artichoke fabric. I was drawn to the fun print and the various blue colors within the print!
Most upholstery fabric is about 54-55″ wide, and a yard is always 36″ in length. Since I was making two slipcovers I ordered 3 yards of fabric. For a single ottoman cover you could get away with 1.5 yards or 2 yards to be safe.
I calculated the amount of fabric needed by measuring the five sides I had intended to cover. I found that I needed to cut 5 individual 19.5″ squares.
Since fabric I chose had a pattern to it, I was very conscious when laying out the fabric and choosing where to cut. With the fabric having the bold artichokes, I wanted the top of each to have an artichoke in the center of the cube.
In order to do this, I measured across the width of the fabric, finding the center of 19.5″ (9.75″). From here I was able to determine where I needed to start making my cuts.
If your fabric does have a print like mine, make sure the edge you are measuring off of is a straight cut, and that there is no odd curve to it from the cutting line. This will ensure you get accurate measurements and cuts in the end.
I have to say when I went to cut my fabric I was SO NERVOUS, because once you make that first cut there really is no going back! Thats why you need to measure a few times! I also highly recommend getting a fabric pen , so that you can mark where you need to cut. The ink of these pens typically are air soluble.
I also chose to cut my fabric so that two sides would (at the best of my ability) sort of align. Since I am the furthest thing from a professional sewer the end result I knew would not be perfect.
If you are going to try this, I HIGHLY recommend using your fabric pen to mark each side. I denoted each of mine with numbers and arrows. Knowing that cuts 1 and 2 should be sewn together. Below you can see that I have the fabric flipped over, but you can see where the pattern should align.
After you have cut out all the pieces (you should have 5 equal squares in the end) You will want to lay them out so you can see where you need to pin them together. I at least found this very helpful when sewing all the sides together.
If you look closely you can see the numbers on each square. The middle clearly being labeled as the top, with the artichoke placed in the center. You will find that two sides won’t align and two will.
Next you will want to start pinning. I went step by step. I did not pin everything together at once as I wanted to make sure I was sewing it correctly. Again, take your time and double check yourself just to maeke sure you are not making silly mistakes.
An IMPORTANT thing to note, when sewing the top to the sides, make sure that you leave 1/4″ on either side of your stitch line. You do this so that when you sew the two sides together you get a nice crisp corner.
At this point, I took this piece and I dropped it over the ottoman, just to be sure I was on the right track and everything was generally falling where it should be.
Now that the top has been sewed to the 4 sides it’s time to sew each of the sides together. If you have a print. This is where it will be important to align the pattern of the sides you marked with 1/2 or 3/4, pin each side together and stitch from the bottom up.
Make sure when you are sewing from the bottom up that you are not catching the top piece of fabric.
Here you can see how it will look in the end, this is why leaving that 1/4″ is important as you will stitch right up to that point, and this will give you a crisp corner.
Continue this same method for all four sides. In the end, this is how it will look once you place it on to the ottoman. Next I’ll explain how I used velcro to attach the extra to the bottom.
One other piece to mention. I did ultimately take the cover and I serged all the edges with my serger. That way I had a clean finished edge and I eliminated fraying. If you do not have a serger that is fine, you just have to sew a hem at the bottom and wash on a gentle cycle if you were to ever wash them.
From the beginning I wanted the slipcovers for the target ottomans to be easy on and off. I wanted the freedom to not only be able to change it out when I wanted, but to also clean them easily!
In order to do this, I decided to attach velcro to the bottom of the almost complete cover and to the actual ottoman itself. I chose to use an iron on velcro, this exact one! What is great about this velcro, is that it has a sticky back, so you are able to place it where you want to and it won’t shift around!
Each ottoman uses one whole box, which contains 5ft of 3/4″ iron on velcro.
Each of the Target Ottomans have these little small black feet on them. In order to properly secure the cover to the base you will need to remove them.
I did this simply by grabbing my drill and unscrewing each of them. They were not in there super tight, so you could easily have used a screw driver too. Once off you can not start to apply the velcro.
As I mentioned I chose to get iron on velcro for the base and the cover itself. I found this to be the easier way to secure the cover.
First, I attached the scratchy side of the velcro to the base of the target ottoman. I cut a piece that was the size of the space between the two feet.
Once you have this piece in place you can now iron it on. However I would highly recommend using a towel over the velcro so that you are not putting holes in the black under part of the actual ottoman.
Once the entire base as the scratchy side attached you can now attached it to the actual cover.
As I mentioned before, what’s great about this Velcro is that it has a sticky back. So you are able to place it and it won’t shift around too much. This is so helpful when trying to iron it in place.
To start, I cut a piece the same length as the piece I previously attached to the base. I then pressed it onto the scratchy side, you can see this in the first image. Next, I stretched up the fabric making sure it was even and in place and then pressed firmly down to secure it to the fabric.
I then ironed the Velcro in the same manner that I did prior, using the towel to protect fabric.
Once all sides had the velcro attached it was time to put the feet back onto the ottoman. I simply folded the fabric down and then drilled the feet in place. Making a clean finished look.
If you made it this far, BRAVO! I hope that you really are creating a cover and changing the overall look of these ottomans. I also hope you found this tutorial informative and helpful! Please leave a comment below if you have any questions!
Also, be sure to follow along on INSTAGRAM to see all the upcoming projects!
And If you need any help with designing spaces in your home never hesitate to reach out HERE!
Girl, I am a fan of all of your creative projects, but wish you were close to update this old 90s house! Keep bringing your fabulous design ideas to life! HGTV needs to take notice!