When I switched out the dining table for a lounge chair in my double-tasking living room, I found myself looking for a small table to go next to the new seating. Inspired by ottomans from Anthropologie that were beautiful but cost hundreds of dollars, I ended up making something similar for just $20.
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This was my first foray into making furniture, and the project is simple enough for other novices to try. The frame is metal mesh; the interior is old blankets, T-shirts, and sheets (you can get creative here); and the exterior is a sewn slipcover. Sewing the circular top of the cover is the only part that is a little challenging, but I’ve included a trick and a helpful link for that step.
What You Need
Materials
metal mesh (sold at hardware stores – my piece was 19 x 47 inches and cost $5)
old blankets, T-shirts, sheets, etc.
batting (optional)
wire
duct tape
cardboard
sturdy fabric (I bought 1.5 yards from Etsy seller Chillien for $15)
Tools
pliers
wire cutters
pen or pencil
scissors
sewing machine
iron
ironing board
Instructions
1. Start with the metal mesh. The edges will be prickly – be careful! Use the pliers to fold the points down or the wire cutter to clip the tips.
2. Create the cylindrical frame for the table. Stand up the metal mesh on the floor, and let the edges overlap until the frame is the diameter you want. Using the pliers and wire cutter, secure the top, middle, and bottom of the overlapping section with wire.
3. Place one piece of cardboard under the frame, trace around the circle, and cut out it out. Trace that circle onto another piece of cardboard (to be used later). I used a liberal amount of duct tape on the outside and inside of the frame to attach the cardboard bottom to the metal mesh. (Thanks to the holes in the mesh, the duct tape on one side adheres to the other.)
4. Fill the frame. I used what materials I had on hand: a beat-up fleece blanket, an old sheet, and many worn out T-shirts. You could also use old pillow forms or fiberfill stuffing. I laid out my filling layer-by-layer, with the fleece blanket on the bottom, and rolled it up. Put it inside the metal mesh frame.
5. I covered the frame in batting, but this step is optional. Cut a piece of batting slightly longer than the circumference of your frame and a little taller. Line the batting up with the bottom of the metal mesh frame. Secure the two ends with duct tape, and tuck the extra batting over the top edge and to the inside of the frame. (The filling will help that batting stay in place.)
6. Create the tabletop using the extra cardboard circle you traced in Step 3. Trim it if it doesn’t fit properly inside the frame, and then place it inside. Depending on how high you filled the frame, you may need to trace and cut out a second or even third cardboard circle.
7. You have a table – now you need to cover it! Iron your fabric and cut it in two pieces. One piece will be about two inches longer than the frame’s circumference and an inch taller (for ease, seam allowance, and the bottom hem). The other piece of fabric will be a circle about an inch wider across than the frame’s diameter.
8. With right sides of the fabric together, sew the two short ends of the long piece of fabric together with half an inch of seam allowance. Iron the seam open. To hem the bottom, fold the bottom up half an inch. Iron the fold and sew the hem.
9. Fold the piece you just sewed into eight equal parts and mark the eight spots with pins. Do the same along the edge of the circular piece. Turn the two pieces to have right sides facing, and match up the eight pins on that piece with the eight on the circular piece. Pin the pieces together and carefully sew them with a half-inch seam allowance. (For more about the math behind Step 9 and some helpful additional photos, check out Cotton & Cloud.)
10. For crisper edges, iron the circular seam. Turn out the slipcover, put it over the table frame, and admire your handiwork.
Images: Kim Rinehimer
