MIY Session 4 : Make your own stool

I have a question for you lovely people. 
Are you chronic collectors? Do you hold onto things because they 'might come in handy'? Do you find yourself looking wistfully into the inner reaches of your local recycling plant, and tut-tutting to yourself at the kind of things some people throw away? 
If you do, I'd really like to know, do you live in normal-sized houses; and if you your home is not some huge rambling estate, where do you keep all the stuff that might come in handy??

I seem to find this problem all of the time. It is an issue here; it was an issue in my house in Malta, and Maltese houses are bigger generally. Of course, it does not help that I am forever seeing the potential of abandoned/unwanted stuff. I honestly do try to be a bit ruthless and say no to certain items...but sometimes, things have too much potential to resist, even if at that particular moment, I have absolutely no idea what yo do with them.

This is what happened  with a couple of cable 'bobbins' I found lying outside my local computer shop a couple of years ago.  I’m not exactly sure about their technical name. I call them that because they remind me of the wooden bobbins my gran used to have in her sewing box...

Then their time came...

One Christmas, my children had gotten a pair of inflatable stools. Basically, they were an inflatable roll-cushion with a plush cover, embroidered with their favorite Disney characters. 
  

Their excitement when they first sat on these stools was priceless. However, within less than a month, the inflatable cushions were burst by one jump too many, followed by the inevitable disappointment.

Enter the bobbins..they would provide me with the basis of a stool. Okay, so they wouldn’t be exactly the same, but they’d be similar... and sturdier, too. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post you will see what I mean. I think these stools were a success; my children certainly think so.

For each stool you will need-

 # a wooden 'bobbin'

 # some material to make the cushion

 # cushion stuffing/filling

 # the plush cover of the original stool (or any other patterned material)

 # tracing paper

1) Trace around the ‘bobbin’ to make the base for the pattern of a traditional-style circular cushion. Don’t forget to make allowances for the thickness of the cushion. (I added about 2” all round). Sew the cushion and fill it with stuffing to the thickness of your choice.

      

2) Paint the ‘bobbin’ with white undercoat to give it an even base for your chosen colours.

Allow ample drying time (mine sat in the Maltese sun for a whole morning, and then I waited a couple of days before moving onto my colours, although that was more because I was insanely busy for that couple of days).

3) Two coats of your chosen paint colour(s) will give the ‘bobbin’ a smooth finish. Now for the tricky bit..

4) Place the cushion (the one you’ve sewn earlier) onto the surface of the ‘bobbin’ (this will be the seat of your stool). Pull your cover down across it, stretching it taut.

Note - If your cushion covering has a large design, take care to center it, because it will look odd having the design off-center

5) Turn the ‘bobbin’ over, so that it’s standing on the cushion. Pull the ends of the covering onto the underside of the seat, and fix one end using thumb tacks. Don’t be tempted to use nails... remember, the wooden surface of the ‘bobbin’ is only about 1.5 cm thick.

6) Repeat this process, working your way around the seat, each time pulling the covering tight before fixing it. I also found it helps to work diagonally.

7) As a final touch, use a staple gun to further secure the covering, closer to the center of the seat. Trim away any extra fabric. If you don’t, it will just hang down and look unsightly.

Et voila’... your stool is ready!!

 What do you think? Do you have any other ideas for recycling these ‘bobbins’, or indeed any other recycling ideas?  Please do share them with us.. I don't know about you, but I always get an extra kick from making something with recycled stuff. 

This month's Make It Yourself sessions will be focusing on crafts using recycled stuff. So, if you have any ideas, please do write in..

See you Friday. Cheers!