I'm not mrsmarv, but right now Target has one and one half in memory foam mattress pads (any size) on sale for $18.00. You could always buy a big one (would have to be larger than twin for you 42"s) cut it down and use spray adhesive to hold it together. The thickness would depend on how many 42" squares you could get out of the size you bought.
Just a thought.
Otherwise check with a local upholsterer or fabric store for foam. It's not cheap that way. Though I've heard you get a better deal at an upholsterer.

We have foam rubber outlet stores in our area. You can get some good buys on foam. Many thicknesses to choose from too. We had some cut recently to put on the corners of our camper - to keep the camper cover corners from ripping. LOL hubby's idea. Works great.

tina

Tina, what is the name of the outlet store? I'd like to see if there are any close to us.

I purchased sheets of foam through Joanne's with a 50% off coupon. Still not cheap, as justgotabme pointed out. The sheets came in various thicknesses (I chose 5") with a width of 24 inches. I "cut and pasted" the sheets to comprise the 36" x 36" x 10" depth using spray adhesive. The one thing I will caution you about is to make sure you use the spray adhesive that is made specifically for foam. Any other kind will damage, and perhaps melt, the foam.
I did price a cut-to-size piece from a local upholsterer (they can order custom widths not readily available to the public), but their price ended up being almost $50 more than what I paid. Granted, they offered a piece that was the actual measurement of 36" x 36", but only 5" in height. I would have had to purchase 2 pieces of 36" x 5" to get the 10" height I needed, so I would have had to have them adhesive them together, which wasn't a biggie. But it was still more $$$. It was cheaper going through Joanne's with their sale coupon.

Thanks for your advice. I will start looking for coupons and foam sales. Sometimes Hancocks has it on sale too. I know foam is expensive I was at Hancocks the other day and there was a piece of foam there for $200. If I could find an ottoman I like I would consider buying one but if you make it you can put any fabric you want and I have an upholstery gun and DH can build the base and I think I have some bun feet in the garage. - thanks again

I bought foam from a place on Ebay for my window seat and my friend who does reupholstery work said I got a great deal and that it was an upgrade from the regular foam you usually see. It was about half the price as Joann's w/free shipping and definitely better quality. I was told in order to cut it, you can use an electric carving knife. I don't know if I can give the name of the person I bought it from on Ebay here but if you or anyone else is interested, let me know. He also sold me the dacron wrap for a lot less than any of the local stores.

I now have a comfy window seat, just waiting for the cover to be finished ;)

The type of foam used is very important (as casajakada mentioned). High density foam is the type used in upholstery and this is the type I purchased and used. And yes, you do cut it with an electric carving knife. It works great. Just mark your lines with an indelible marker and use a slow, steady hand.

casajakada I would like to know the ebay seller, you can email me at rdsso@pldi.net if you don't feel like you can post it on here. I have worked with foam before and an electric knife is the only way to cut it to keep it even I have an electric knife I use only for foam. Mrsmarv thanks for the tip regarding high density foam.

Ditto regarding the ebay seller. You can email me at Nmarvullo@aol.com. I'm ready to build another ottoman ;o)

I sent the name to those who asked but can anyone tell me if we're allowed to post the name of a specific seller from Ebay here? Thanks!

casajakada, thanks for the email. Regarding posting sellers, I have seen threads on this board where they link something they are thinking of buying on ebay so may that would be the way to do it. I don't know for sure maybe someone will read this and let us all know. Anyway thanks for the source for the foam I appreciate it.

I ordered my foam, I think I found the fabric, and as soon as it all gets here I will attempt the ottoman. Mrsmarv I noticed your ottoman has a square piece of fabric on the top and you have stitched a piece around it. Did you also make a seam down the sides too? If you don't mind can you give me some tips on how you put the ottoman cover together as far as the sewing instructions. Do you think it is best to make a musline cover over the ottoman before covering it with the fabric? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Yes, a muslin cover is important because it will keep the foam protected and in place, and the fabric cover will not get "chaffed" from rubbing on the otherwise exposed foam.

I did make a seam down all four sides. Basically the cover looks like a four-sided box with no bottom, except that mine slants in slightly because the top dimension is 36" and the bottom of the ottoman (where it meets the base and legs) is 34". I wanted it to tailor in slightly to prevent it from looking like a large square box. If it had been rectangular in shape, I might have made the sides straight.

It's important to make the top piece perfectly square. I also scooted the edge seam slightly on top of the seat, rather than having it sit directly on the edge of the foam. So if you look closely, it appears that the top seam is slighly more toward the top of the ottoman instead of sitting directly on the edge. This way, when you fit it and pull your fabric taut, the seam doesn't move down on the sides. If the top/seat fabric is slightly smaller in size than the actual dimensions of the top, it will keep the foam in place because it's holding the foam in...kinda sorta like a girdle would do. You can probably see how I did it if you look closely at the pics. (I just re-read this and I hope I'm making sense.)

When you're fitting the cover on, pin it in place and sew the seams slightly tighter than you think you should. The foam will compress when you put the cover on and even though it may be a tad difficult to fit, it will keep everything compact and tight, which will make your ottoman look nice and smooooth ;^)

Let me know if you have any other Q's...anyone else out there who can chime in with some tips and tricks I might have missed? I know joann (of cliff and joann) is a pro and she might have some good ideas.

Mrsmarv, One last question how much fabric did you buy for your ottoman. I would like mine to be 42 x 42 I am not really good a figuring yardage. Thanks

I used less than 2 yards of fabric. I had ordered 2 yards and had a small amount leftover, and that was for a very subtle but defined diamond patterned fabric. There is no skirt on my ottoman, which made a difference. Keep in mind that if you use a fabric with a plaid or pattern "repeat", your yardage will be more than if the fabric was a solid/plain. I looked on a couple of sites for yardage requirements when making slipcovers and the most realistic and/or generous estimate for a 42" x 42" (with a height of 19", which is pretty standard) ottoman is 4.5 yards without pattern match and 5.5 yards with pattern match. The fabric width is 54" wide. I would err on the side of caution and order too much rather than too little fabric. You could always use the extra fabric in a small pillow or something of that sort ;^)