Weekend Project

Looking around my house, I am itching to bring spring inside. I am tired of the cold, the wind, the snow and mud trudged through my kitchen. I can't wait for the tulips to peek out, the robins to start singing and the birds to come to roost on my front porch. I am itching to make beautiful things to have and enjoy in my home. Making bright and beautiful things is one way I try to battle the winter doldrums.

My weekend project, which encorporates two of our goals --using our materials and living a more artful life-- was to recover two of the little foot stools I had sitting in our living room. Reupholstering furniture, wait, is that part of this blog about craft and art? Stay with me here, it is not as hard as you might think.

These stools were old and frayed, to say the least. They certainly didn't yell out, "I come from an artful home." They are the ones who put the shabby into shabby chic. Actually, there was no chic there.

Maybe I could rescue these two before they ended up at the dump. I had two fabrics in my stash that would make great new covers for these old stools. A smart red chenille and a springy yellow brocade might do the trick.

First, I gathered the tools I would use to do the job. I needed a Phillips head screwdriver, a staple gun with mid- to heavy weight staples, pliers, wood glue, new batting, scissors, and fabric.

Next, I removed the legs from the stools. Each was attached with screws. Then, I used pliers to remove the upholstry nails and staples holding the old fabric in place. I used the old fabric as a pattern template for the new material.

Each stool received a new layer or two of batting to improve it's cushy nature. I trimmed the batting and secured underneath with staples. Then I fitted the fabric. The rectangular stool was a bit more challenging, I had to sew seams at the corners to create the fitted look. Once the fabric was in place on each stool and secured with more staples, I reattached the legs.

I am pleased with the results. The ratty-tat stools have new life. The bright red chenille picks up the bright reds of our living room rug. The yellow brocade, with it's springy pattern of flowers and leaves looks lovely with my grandmother's antique chair. The touches of red, green and blue are nice to break- up the yellow background.

So, I think that I have successfully re-habed these two; they are no longer destined for the dump.