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Vanity stool makeover

http://fixlovely.blogspot.ca/2013/11/vanity-stool-makeover.html
Hi Friends!

Here's my quick DIY on how to makeover a vanity stool. 

I have this stool, which I bought for $15 on Craigslist.

This is such a boring stool.
It had this tear in the seat when I bought it


So, in the spirit of doing my favorite thing, it was makeover time!

Supplies needed: 

  • Heavy duty stapler
  • about 1/2 yard of fabric (for my vanity stool.. you may need more if your stool is bigger)
  • Spray paint in color of your choice! (I love this oil rubbed bronze.)
(I had everything already except the fabric, so this project cost me $3.50)


Just about every vanity stool has  screws underneath the seat that attach the seat to the legs. Unscrew them and detach the cushion from the legs. 


Take the base outside and spray paint it (I used oil rubbed bronze by Rustoleum), and let it dry.


I found this awesome fabric in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby for $3.50.

I love the pattern so much I used it for my Moroccan tea cozy as well.

 Iron it


I didn't even take off the existing (torn) cushion cover on this stool. I just covered over it. You don't have to mess with padding unless you want to add more :-).

 Lay it out, and fold it over the cushion, making sure you cut it long enough so it will fit over the edges. Always cut a little more than you need.

 Wrap the fabric tightly (making sure the design is on the outside) on your cushion and staple it.

**I made the mistake of not aligning my fabric pattern with the screw holes, so when I reattached the leg base, my pattern was not straight with the legs**


Now staple the middle of the other sides to the stool. This way it will have even gathers as you dart and staple.


Start darting the fabric as you go around the edge, always centering your staples between existing ones, rotating as you go:

And starting from those staples, start darting the edges too. 

*I use this method so that all sides of the cushion have an even dart look. You don't want to have dart wrinkles all unevenly spaced. This will keep the direction of the fabric on the cushion, so we don't get a weird, pulled-looking fabric.

Cut off the extra fabric as you get to the corners, leaving about 1 inch (or a little less) of extra.


Staple down the corners, and voila!




I left the legs to dry overnight (even though the can says dry to the touch in 30 minutes). I didn't want any sticky spray paint to mark up the fabric.)

So, get your legs: 


Screw the cushion back on...


Done!


It has much more character than its evil twin.


Since I love Moroccan inspired stuff, I think I'll add tassels around the edge at some point. Or maybe just on the corners!
That would be cool.