My daughter and I were going through an antiques/flea market mall and I ran across this stool. I loved it and have been wanting to make it for years. I intend to get around to everything, one day.
I added the cushion to modernize it a bit. The original was just a Masonite seat, a composite material made from ground up wood and glue.
I've glued 3 pieces of mat board together with yellow carpenter's glue. I will use my scroll saw to cut the circle out.
NOTE: Three layers are too many to cut through with a craft knife. Use your circle template and trace 3 circles, 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Cut them out with your craft knife and glue them together.
I am using yellow carpenter's glue to glue all of the "paper" together.
When you trace your circles mark the quarters on the mat board. This is used for placement of the back and legs.
I've marked the quarters on the sides of the mat board seat, also.
I've used my pattern to trace 2 backs onto card stock.
Cut them out.
The bottom of the back is not straight, that's on purpose. The bottom is slanted just a bit to make the back lean out from the seat slightly.
I drew the backs over the edge of my table to bend them.
Glue the two backs together.
I used a small Sobo glue bottle to smooth out the glue over.
Find yourself something that's about 1 3/8 inches in diameter for a mould for the ring we will make later.
This is close.
The legs need to be tipped out beyond the seat and I thought 1 3/8 inches was about right.
Glue the back onto the seat. Make sure the bottom edges of the back are even with the bottom of the seat.
For the legs I am using poster board. I buy this at Wal-Mart in the art supply or kids art supply section. The label says "poster board".
Cut a piece 2 3/8 inches wide, that's the height of the legs. We are cutting 4 legs from this piece, so make it about 3 or 4 inches long.
I am using my little square. We are going to score 4 lines in the poster board. The lines have to be perpendicular to the edges of the poster board; if the lines aren't perpendicular your legs will be crooked.
I am lining up the square to the edge and using the back of my blade of my craft knife to score a line. I ran the craft knife only twice to make the line.
Can you see my scored lines?
Bend on the scored lines before you draw your legs.
Using the scored line as a center, mark a 1/16 inch on either side at one end and 1/8 inch on either side of the scored line at the other end.
Turn the poster board over and mark 1 inch from the bottom of the legs, that's the small end. This mark is for the ring we are going to make and glue to the legs.
Cut the legs out.
I've cut two strips of card stock 1/16 inch wide and glued them together with yellow carpenter's glue. The piece needs to be at least 15 inches long.
Wrap the strip around your mould, gluing between the layers. Wrap three times.
Let dry.
When the ring is good and dry place it on your circle template and mark the quarters. These marks are where the legs will be glued.
Using the marks to go by glue the legs to the ring under the line on the back of the legs. Center the scored line on the mark on the ring.
While the legs are drying you can glue on crochet thread to the edge of the back of the seat. Glue crochet around the opening in the back also. I used tacky glue to glue the crochet thread on.
The original stool is metal and the metal back has a rolled edge. This is optional.
Use the marks on the seat as a guide to glue the legs onto the seat. Glue two legs at a time, centering the scored line with the mark on the seat.
When you get the legs centered, press and hold until the glue seizes up.
To cover the joins of the back and legs I 'm going to cover the seat's edge with a narrow piece of card stock.
Measure the thickness of the seat and cut a strip of card stock that width. I ran the strip over the edge of my table to curve it a bit before I started gluing it on.
Glue the card stock strip onto the edge of the seat.
Use tacky glue to glue crochet thread around the bottom of the card stock strip.
There is the stool ready for painting.
This is a delicate piece and I wouldn't recommend it for children to use.
I spray painted the stool. To do this I put a wad of sticky wax on the end of a dowel rod and pressed the seat of the stool onto the wax.
I took this outside and sprayed the stool a few times.
The seat cushion is optional.
I used mat board for the base, I traced a 1 1/4 inch circle using the template. When I cut the circle out I cut INSIDE the line. This will leave room for the batting and cloth so the cushion will be at the edge of the seat, not over it.
I use Thermolam Plus for padding in my furniture. I buy this from Wal-Mart. Cut a circle about 1/4 inch smaller than the mat board.
The next piece of batting is just a bit over the edge of the mat board. This is going to get folded over the edge when the fabric is put on.
Trace a 2 inch circle onto fabric from the template and apply tacky glue to the line. Let the glue dry. Cut the circle of fabric out on the line.
Thread a needle and sew a running stitch around the edge of the circle.
Place the mat board with the batting into the circle and draw up the thread and knot off.
To eliminate some of the bulk of the gathering apply tacky glue between the fabric and the mat board very close to the edge of the mat board. Press the fabric into the glue.
Trim off the extra fabric.
The cushion.
Apply tacky glue to the seat and press the cushion on gently.
You could add feet to the bottom of the stool by using a round hole punch and punching 4 circles and gluing them to the bottom of the legs.
If you have any questions about this or other tutorials e-mail me at: camceiling@frontiernet.net.
Please send me your photos of tutorials you have made or projects you have made using techniques you have learned to make something totally new! Send the pictures to: camceiling@frontiernet.net.
Have fun, Expand on it, Make it better,
JUST KEEP MAKING MINIS