This DIY was born out of the need to not pay over $30 for a stool, and the knowledge that I had seen a mid-century modern stool at a ton of thrift stores. I've been looking for a soft accent piece to put into my art/guest room, and every time I made a mood board this stool by A Beautiful Mess kept popping up. I don't really have the time or skills to make a full stool, but make a slip cover for a stool? That's something I can do.
Also I just like the furriness.
Supplies:
A stool, fur (I used this from Ikea), scissors,
straight pins, thread, measuring tape,
a permanent marker, and sticky pads for the feet.
One: Turn your stool over and trace the outer edge. I had to go around quite a few times to get a good solid line, but with how thick my fur was, I wasn't really worried about the marker bleeding through.
Two: Measure the circumference and length of your stool (or the length you would like your stool to look).
Three: Time to do some math! In order to fit the circumference of the stool onto my fur, I had to split it in half. I also added an inch to the bottom and sides, to make room for bunches in the fabric and seams. So a long 44" by 6.5" strip became two pieces, both 23" by 7.5".
Four: Measure and draw your sides out. I used the tape measure to measure out dots then connected them to make a straight line.
Five: Time to cut! I found it was easiest if I cut as close the fabric (beneath the fur) as I could.
Six: Onto pinning. I had to pin together my two pieces first, sew that seam, then pin the long piece to the top. Before you do anything, though, flip your fabric over and make sure when it's all sewn the fur will all lay the same direction. While pinning, smooth the fur back away from the edge to make it easier to get the pins in.
Seven: I hand sewed this whole thing. I doubled up my thread, used an upholstery needle, and settled in to watch some TV. I'm sure that you could use a sewing machine, but I just didn't want to deal with that. Hand sewing gave me more control, and I could problem solve some parts as I went. Note: my hand stitching consists of whatever stitches I think will keep the project together. It is not pretty. It is functional.
Eight: Flip your cover right side out and pull it onto your stool, and that's it!
I was really happy with the outcome of this project, and I think it's great that I can take off this cover and replace it with something else if I feel the urge. You might need to attach a bit of ribbon or elastic to the bottom to keep it on, but I don't see this stool getting a lot of abuse so I just left it as is. The fit is snug enough that I'm not too worried about it shifting. Also, if you can't find a good stool at a thrift shop, I tried the same cover on a stool from Ikea and thought it turned pretty cute too.
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