Tuft Love

In case it’s your first time to casa de Bean In Love, here’s the nutshell about what this post is all about.  We had a rectangular coffee table, bought a sectional a few years later, rectangular coffee table didn’t jive well with new sectional, sought out new, round coffee table, found octagonal one at Goodwill for $12 in hopes to turn it into an ottoman for our footsies.  Got it?  Good.  :)

Here ‘tis:
 

Here’s how we did it and how you can make your very own.

Let’s start with…

THE FRAME
The coffee table came home with us from thrifting pretty beat up but I did the usual light sanding (because it was so worn I barely had to sand this piece), a couple of thin and even coats of white spray primer (Rustoleum from Walmart), and a few thin and even coats of white spray paint (Rustoleum American Accents).

THE CUSHION BASE/WOOD
The original plan was to cut a piece of wood that was the exact same size as the glass top, thereby fitting right into it’s spot.  Then we were just going to upholster the entire top of the coffee table; wrapping and stapling the fabric over and under the existing ledge.  But, to keep the ottoman from looking too much like a large mushroom, we (Anthony) came up with a better idea to upholster a piece of wood slightly larger than the existing glass but smaller than the top of the table. 

The red line in the picture below represents the size the wood was cut to and the red dots represent the holes Anthony drilled and how/where the screws that held the cushion on would go. 
 

We used 1/2 thick plywood from Home Depot and (bonus!) actually bought a large piece that gave us two wood bases instead of one.  The plan is to make a second cushion we can switch out with the first one when the need for change strikes.  But that’s on the back burner with baby #3 coming in a month.  We might add a 2x4 underneath and across the base and for added support but the 1/2 plywood was strong enough to withstand Anthony standing on the ottoman and will definitely hold up to our resting feet and the climbing tots.

Home Depot cut the plywood into two large squares for us so all Anthony had to do was cut off the corners to get the octagon shape we needed.  He used some fancy measuring and a circular saw and that’s all I know about that.  If you have any questions about cutting wood, inbox me or comment and I’ll refer them to the pro.  :)

THE FOAM
You might remember it took me forever to find foam.  Working on a budget, we didn’t want to spend the $44 it would have cost to buy a three-inch thick slab of foam from the fabric store (and that was during a 50% off sale!) so I scoured the interweb and after a few frustrating surfs, found this post over at The Shabby Creek Cottage.  Gina upholstered a coffee table using an egg crate mattress and it looked pretty darn good.  My friend Jenn also used the same thing to upholster a headboard and it too looked and still looks awesome.  So, my decision was made.  I made a trip to Walmart and grabbed two full-size foam mattresses (one-inch thick).  (Side note:  I couldn’t find “egg crate” mattresses so settled on the “5-zone” kind hoping it’d all still pan out the same, which it did.)  The plan was to layer the mattresses to give us the height and cushion we were looking for.

So first I traced the wood base onto the smooth side of the mattress with a sharpie.
   
I wasn’t sure if I was going to layer three or four together so I cut four just in case – two on each mattress.  I ended up using three layers.

For extra staying power, I glued two of the layers of foam “zone” or rippled sides together with some spray adhesive we had on hand.  (Side note:  Make sure to do this outside!!  It smells and surely you don’t want glue all over your stuff!)

Next I stacked the layers onto the wood base like so:

It was single layer, smooth side down first (or against the wood) on top of which were the two glued-together layers.
I didn’t glue the bottom layer to the wood because it stayed put well on its own and would even more so once the tufting was done and the fabric was over it.

THE BUTTONS AND TUFTING
We wanted our ottoman to be tufted and we wanted some deep tufting.  So I picked up a craft cover button kit from JoAnn fabrics (brand:  Dritz, size: 45 or 1 1/8 inch, direct link here).

Verses using a different, coordinating or contrasting fabric for the buttons, we used the same fabric we were using to upholster the cushion.

I won’t go into the details of how to assemble the buttons because the instructions on the button kit are awesome but I will say that, per the recommendation of a few experienced tufters in blogland, we added a dab of Liquid Nails to each button before securing the backs to keep them from popping off.  We let them sit and dry for several hours before we used them.
 

Behold, the buttons:
   

Next up, the tufting.  This is where I ran into a little dilemma.  I wasn’t sure how to pattern the tufting.  If you’re an Instagram or Facebook friend, you might’ve have seen my plea for help.  Which one?  The top pattern or the bottom?

Well, the majority went for the bottom pattern along with Anthony but my initial thought was towards the top pattern.  After deciding, redeciding, checking what y’all had to say, and redeciding again, we both decided we liked the top pattern best.  (A BIG THANK you to my good friend Lauren who supplied me with picture texts of their round, tufted ottoman during this whole process so I could see how it was tufted/constructed, not to mention for dealing with my panicked text pleas for advice.)  :)

So, once the pattern was decided upon, I carefully measured out where each button was to be placed, starting with the center and marking the spots with a sharpie.
 

Then Anthony drilled the holes where I marked.
 

(Side note:  We tufted before we upholstered/stapled the fabric around the edges so that we could get our buttons fairly deep into the cushion.  If you’re going for shallow tufting, I’d upholster first.)  Before we started installing buttons, we made sure the fabric was centered over the ottoman (and if you’re using batting, make sure you grab it and lay it under your fabric.  We were planning on using some and completely forgot!  It shouldn’t be a big deal though.)  Then we started with the center button and moved out to the circle, doing one button and then the one on the opposite side of it until all the buttons were installed.
 

Also, to make sure the fabric was evenly laid out around the ottoman and folds were where they should be, we pinned fabric together around the center button over the place where each outer button would be.  Make sense?  I hope so.
It’s probably not necessary to do this if you’re not tufting in a circle but we found it kept us from pulling too much fabric towards one button or another.

But, let’s backtrack a little to the how-to of tufting.  I mentioned above that we wanted deep(er) tufting.  (We used this tutorial on deep tufting at Sarah M. Dorsey Designs.  It was so helpful and we couldn’t have done it without it!!) 
Here’s what you’ll need to get in deep:
A long upholstery needle
Thick thread or twine (we used the same twine I wrapped these soap dispensers with)
Your covered buttons
A staple gun
Two people
 
With the entire cushion set on two of our dining room chairs acting as saw horses, Anthony laid underneath the cushion, working from the bottom as I worked from the top.

So…

First, thread the needle and push it up through the pre-drilled hole from underneath the cushion. 

Next, pull one end of the string up and out of the hole and remove the needle.  Make sure not to pull out the other end!


Then, thread on your button followed by the needle and insert the needle back down through the pre-drilled hole to person numero dos below.  I found that using the end of the screwdriver to push the needle down through the fabric and foam saved my fingers from distress.  You might too.  :)

Once person #2 has the needle and thread pulled all the way through, push on the button until it sits as deep as you’d like…

…until person #2 can tie a knot in the string and staple it to the wood to hold it in place like so:

(For even deeper tufting, you can also carve out a little more room into the foam below each button, like Sarah did.  We skipped that step.)

 
UPHOLSTERING
Like I noted above, we tufted before upholstering to get our buttons in deep.  Because of this, our foam and fabric were both now secured to the cushion so all that was left to do was staple the fabric to the underside of the wood base.

Before stapling though, I cut off the upper corner of the top layer of foam to make getting a rounded top edge of the cushion a little easier.
 

Then we set the entire cushion on its side and began working our way around.  Starting in the middle of one straight edge, we pulled the fabric tight and popped in a staple, then stapling towards the corners on the underside of the wood.  We placed the staples about 2-3 inches in from the edge.  The process wasn’t any different than upholstering a chair seat, like this desk chair we did a couple of months back.   

Staple the middle of one side, staple to each corner, staple at corner, turn to next side, repeat process x 8 until all sides were nice and tight.

When we were done, there was a lot of excess fabric hanging around, not to mention the excess string hanging from the tufting knots.
 

But, a little trim later and we had a nice, clean undercarriage and enough extra fabric to make a couple of throw pillows later.


Before we attached the cushion to the table base the next morning (because by this time it was close to midnight), I took the entire cushion outside and gave it a nice spray-down with Scotch Gard for protection from stains and spills, heaven forbid.
 
This is another must-do-outside because this stuff will burn your nose hairs right off. 

And finally, our new cottoman, coined by my bestie Megan Rose.  
Originally I loved the shelf underneath this particular coffee table and envisioned baskets upon it hiding toys but now I think it makes the whole ottoman look a little too “country” for my taste.  What do you think?  It comes off with a twist of a few screws and I think we’re leaning towards taking it off for a more open feel.  Stay tuned.

I know what you’re thinking, “Something’s off in the picture above…”.  Yep, we split up the sectional hence the lack of an arm that loveseat’s not sporting.  We rearranged our living room so the girls could have a larger space of their own in the corner (no more toys stashed everywhere; they’re all in that corner now) and we’re still not sure what we think of it.  Time will tell…

 

The cottoman is definitely the bright spot in the room and makes all of the undone decorating in the room even more obvious and, well, majorly wanting.  My first thought upon seeing it all set up in the room was how bad it clashed with our $35 rug.  I was tempted to run out right then and there to grab another.  Patience be with me though.  Change be acomin’!

I wrote a little post about our plans for this room several months back but just for another quick overview, here they are in a nutshell:

 
(photo of rug idea from here, chair fabric ideas from here)

You know I’ll keep you posted on progress.  :)

And last but never least, a budget breakdown:
Coffee table:  $12 (Goodwill)
Spray primer and paint:  $8 (Walmart)
Plywood:  $9 (Home Depot) We only used half; the remaining half is cut and stored to make a second cushion.
Foam:  $21 (mattress foam from Walmart)
Fabric: $29 (Dena Nadia Green Tea from eBay but originally found at JoAnn Fabrics) I still have 20 inches to use for a couple of throw pillows or whatever else I can come up with.
Button kit:  $5 (with a 50% off coupon at JoAnn Fabrics)
Twine, staple gun, staples, and screws:  already had
Liquid Nails:  already had
Scotch Gard:  already had (Walmart)
GRAND TOTAL:  $84
Not the cheapest project to date but definitely worth every penny (and because we spent it all over a long period of time, it didn’t seem so hard on our bank account).  Just ask our feet.  :)

Anyway, with the budget breakdown I’ve hit 2212 words so I think wrapping up is probably a good idea.  Like always, if you have any questions or if I need to explain anything better, just holler!  If you find this tutorial useful and create your own coffee-table-turned-ottoman or tufted whatever, we’d love to know and see what you’ve created!  Use the hashtag #heybeanlook on Instagram or email us (beaninlove@gmail.com) or find us on our Facebook page or leave comment.  I’ll get back to you asap!

That’s it…until we reupholster the extra cushion that is.  Let’s get this baby out first though and see what 3 under 2 gives us time-wise.  :)

Have a great Monday everybody!

Matchy Matchy

If you missed Monday’s post on the twins’ scarves, the title of this here post will go zooming right over your pretty head.

Let’s talk coincidence.  A couple of days after I found the fabric for those scarves, I was out on the same thrift store run which landed me these black crops, and stumbled upon this:
 
Three bucks, a little too big, and in perfect condition to meet my sewing machine.  I had to have it.  Me in this + the twins in their scarves = mother/daughter(s) harmony, no?  Plus, back when I altered this pink and orange top as a temporary maternity solution, Tracy commented wondering if the same process would work on a long sleeve number.  Spoiler alert:  It does.  Go snatch up those too big tops Tracy!!  :)

The sleeves were a little baggy for my liking so all I did was take an inch off of them and continued on down the shirt until the bottom of the bust.  The white lines in the picture below show where I stitched.  
(Side note:  If you’re taking in a shirt in which the sleeves do fit, all you’d need to do is sew along the existing sleeve hem a little ways and then down.)  I didn’t trim off the excess fabric in case I want to take it in a little more post (post post post) pregnancy but if you’re looking to do the same to a top and stamp it solely maternity, all you have to do is snip off the excess with a pinking shears and you’re good to go.  (Add a zig-zag stitch along your straight stitch for extra fraying protection.  Taking a serger to your ends would be even better.)

After you’re finished you’ll have a pleat on the side of your shirt where your sewing ends. 

As I was putting the finished shirt on to snap some ‘afters’, I noticed some buttons going up to the neckline without corresponding button holes.  Is that a trend these days that I’m not aware of?
And then I noticed the designer was no other than Miley Cyrus.  Maybe it was a mistake but it seems to me like all that twerking is shaking up more than her little rear…  Either way, if sex appeal exists in adding a few buttons that have to be left unbuttoned then I’ll take a rain check for never.  A seam ripper later and they’re gone.

Me, all buttons with a hole home, and zee backyard:
Maternity Jeans:  Grace’s closet via Old Navy
Boots:  Merona Kadens via Target (a last year $11 clearance find)

Hasta la vista.  I’m off to think about changing my #ootd ('”outfit of the day” apparently).  :)

To Infinity…

And technically there is no such thing as beyond that because, well, it’s infinity.  So, sorry Buzz.  Better luck next sequel.

Sorry, was that a bad intro?  I tried as hard as I could to think of some pun with the word plaid but the only thing I could come up with was something like “They Got Plaid” (you know, like “They Got Played”), but considering I’m pulling the two tots into this post, it seemed a little off kilter.  Toy Story seemed the right road to travel.  :) 

“Let’s get to the point here, Bean, Legume…whatever you call yourself”.  Right.  Specifically, this: 

I was at our local Hancock Fabrics a couple of weeks ago getting something or other that I needed when I strolled past their remnants basket and spotted this plaid, flannel remnant:

It was nice and soft and I had been wanting to make some scarves for the girls (and plaid is “in”, right?), so I snatched it up.  It was marked down at $2 a yard and the remnant was a smidge over half a yard; the perfect amount for two little scarves. 

So first things first, I cut it in half so that I had two pieces measuring 20 in. x 29 in. each.  

Then I sewed it into a circle/tube.  If you make your own, here’s where to sew (iron-on tape would work too!):

To get a seamless-looking connection where the two sides would be sewn together I first lined up the edges, folded one over the other, folded once more, and pinned the seam in place before sewing together.  Here’s a step-by-step guide: 
Make sure you only pin the seam though!  You might have to put your hand in between the two layers of fabric (down the tube) to make sure you’re only getting the seam and not the seam plus the other side of your tube of fabric.

Last, stitch down the seam, cut the excess strings, and you’ve got yourself an infinity scarf in a matter of minutes.  Just a few side notes:  I didn’t measure the girls’ heads or necks to figure out how big around I wanted the scarves before I started so they’re a little on the loose side.  I probably could’ve made them a little shorter around for a more snug fit by cutting the initial rectangle to 22-3 in. x 20 in. instead).  Also, if you make your own tot an infinity scarf, I’d play it safe and make it so that it just fits right over their little noggin’ once without looping it over again.  If you make it loose enough to be doubled up, I’d be afraid they’d either pull on or get one loop stuck on something and risk the other getting too tight around their neck.  On the bright side however, this is the first article of clothing/accessory I can share with my girls because the scarves fit me perfectly.  :) 

And that’s that.  But what would any tutorial be without some cute after shots?  Get a load of these two:       

They LOVE being outside and this southern weather is perfect for granting them that wish.  Sun, leaves, dirt, sand…they’ll take it. 

[Unbuttoned onesies >> Carters, Jeggings >> thrifted Garanimals (C) & Carters (S), Boots >> Target, Headbands >> homemade]

.          .           .

Stay tuned though for there is more plaid to come and it involves one growing baby bump.  AND for all of you that know via Instagram that the ottoman is DONE (finally!), I’m working on getting that very detailed tutorial worded and up but it probably won’t be until next Monday.  If you haven’t seen the sneak peek, you can catch a glimpse here.

Have a good Monday folks!