Diamond Tufted Ottoman; skirted, hinged and lined.

I'm more convinced than ever that my fabric choice for the tufted top is waaaaaay off. Egad.

Mumsy, you know how I just dive right into these things. Livin' and learnin', here in RookieTown.

Anyway, I didn't like how plain the bottom of the ottoman/blanket chest seemed, so I skirted 'er.
I didn't want to spend the money for the same linen blend I used on the tufted top (even though it's not Honest-to-Goodness linen, it was not cheap) so I went looking for some kind of lovely floral to make into a skirt. I went to 4 or 5 stores and I'll be danged if nothing looked right. I got sick of looking and I wanted to get this project wrapped up, so I bought tea-stained muslin at HobLob that was a decent match for the tufted top. I bought black grosgrain ribbon for trim.
The selvage edge of the muslin has a neat, fringe-y finish, so I pinned and sewed the grosgrain ribbon just above the edge to keep the fringe exposed.
When the skirt was pieced and stitched and gathered into a big circle, I checked for fit along the top edges of the box and I got staplin':

 To cover those staples, I used the grosgrain ribbon trim and my trusty hot glue gun:

Then, I added a "piano" hinge to secure the tufted top:

Finally, I covered the inside lid with a layer of batting and muslin to hide the button switch-backs from the tufting process:

I stapled it down:

Then, I finished the stapled edge with grosgrain ribbon (and my trusty hot glue gun):

There still needs to be some kind of lid support system installed but it was late and I was in no mood for exact measurements. You'll be glad to know, Mama, that Big Ts gonna help me when he gets home in 7 days (and a wake-up).

I am stewin' and brewin' a new tufted ottoman for the living room, 'cause this baby ain't cuttin' it. She's wide enough and tall enough and her top is soft enough for the boys' keisters but I don't know if I love it skirted (and there's no going back now) and I think I might've mentioned a zillion times: I don't like the fabric I chose for the top.

Hey look, Ma, a news bulletin:
I've been elected Mayor of RookieTown!
Staple guns for everybody!
(or, Let them eat linen-blend!)

-Amanda