How to make the tea towel stool
INFORMATION Materials
* Stool
* Tea towel large enough to cover the
seat of your stool
* Staple gun and staples
* Sandpaper
* Natural beeswax
* Glue gun and glue sticks
* Fabric glue
* Ribbon or trim
Skill rating: Moderate
Novelty tea towels are the ultimate British holiday gift, but did you know that the durable fabric they’re made from is also the perfect material for using in upholstery projects? We’ve all got a kitchen drawer stuffed with these forgotten tea towels at home, so give them a new lease of life when you use them to transform a tatty old stool into a quirky seat. You can pick up pre-loved stools at reclamation yards, car boot sales and second-hand shops. If you can remove the seat from your stool then all the better, but if not then you’ll need to staple the tea towel to the edges of the seat, rather than the underside.
1 If you can remove the seat from your stool, then do so. Lightly sand the wooden legs and base of the stool using sandpaper, then wipe the stool clean.
2 Lay the tea towel, picture side up, over the seat and sides of the stool. Use a staple gun to attach the fabric to the underside of the seat, directly in the middle of one side of the stool. This is your starting point, now pull the fabric tightly across the stool, flattening out any creases as you go, then staple in position on the exact opposite side of the stool.
3 Turn the stool upside down and, pulling the fabric tightly as you go, work your way around the sides, stapling the fabric in place every 2-3cm (1in). When you reach the corners you might find that you need to manipulate the fabric into a ‘hospital corner’ to ensure a neat fold at the edges. Tea towel fabric is pretty tough, so don’t be concerned about tugging and pulling it until you are satisfied with its appearance.
4 Use a pair of fabric scissors to trim away any excess fabric and then use a glue gun to neatly stick down any loose ends on the underside of the stool.
5 Cut a length of ribbon or trim that's long enough to go around the perimeter of the stool with a 5cm (2in) overlap. Following the instructions on the tube of the fabric glue, secure the ribbon in place so that it lines the bottom edge of the seat, covering any staples.
6 Treat the legs and wooden base of the stool with clear beeswax for a professional-looking finish.