Cover that square stool in a new fabric for a fresh look.
Square stools make convenient and space-efficient pieces of furniture to have in all different rooms of your home for propping up your feet, providing extra seating, being used as end tables or even for use as makeshift coffee tables when bunched together. So, when you find one of these versatile little numbers in a thirft store or at a garage sale for a low price, they can be hard to pass up, even when the current fabric doesn't match your decor. Not to worry, you can cover a square in new fabric in little time and with little expense.
Instructions
1. Wash and dry your fabric according to the care instructions for the fabric you chose. This pre-wash prevents your seams from puckering or becoming warped when you wash the cover later on. The care instructions are on the bolt, so when you purchase the fabric, copy those care instructions down on a scrap of paper before you leave the store.
2. Measure the height and width of one side of the stool. Because the stool is square, you only need to measure one side, as all sides have the same measurements. Also, the width of the side is also the width and depth of the top of the stool.
3. Cut four pieces of fabric one inch taller and wider than the side of the stool. These will be the side panels for the cover. Cut one piece of fabric one inch wider and deeper than the top of the stool for the top of the cover. The extra inch accounts for seam allowance.
4. Place two of the side panels together with the right sides facing each other. Sew the two pieces together along one of the height edges with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Repeat with the remaining two panels. Trim the seam allowances down to 1/4-inch and iron them to one side -- it doesn't matter which.
5. Put the two two-panel pieces together with the right sides facing each other. Sew the two pieces together along the two height edges with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4-inch, and iron them to one side. This creates a sort of fabric cube with an open top and bottom.
6. Place the top piece of fabric over one of the open ends of the fabric cube with the right side of the fabric facing inside the cube. Line up the edges of the top pieces with the top edges of the fabric cube. Sew the two pieces together with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim the seam allowances down to 1/4 inch and iron them down toward the side panels.
7. Turn the bottom edge of the cube up to the wrong side of the fabric 1/4 inch. Iron the fold. Fold the bottom edge up another 1/4 inch and iron it again. Sew around the bottom folded edge with an 1/8-inch seam allowance.
8. Turn the cover right side out and slide it down over the square stool with the corner seams of the cover lined up with the corners of the stool. The snug fit of the cover will hold it in place.
Tags: seam allowance, pieces together, 2-inch seam, 2-inch seam allowance, care instructions, fabric cube