Recover a Vintage Stool

Several years ago I purchased this little vintage foot stool on Ebay. Though I loved the lines, I wasn't too crazy about the brown needlepoint cover. Last month I completed a slip cover project for a client and fell in love with the Zebra fabric she choose. As luck would have it there was a small piece of fabric left over - perfectly sized for my stool.

Recovering this stool was an easy process. Simply take off the stool cover by removing the small tacks with a hammer, pliers and a puddy knife. Use the old cover as a pattern to cut out your new cover. Since I was using upholstery tacks, I made my pattern about a 1/2 inch bigger on all sides than the original. This gave me some fabric to fold under for a nice finished edge.

Center the fabric on the stool. Place one tack in the middle of each side of the stool, folding the fabric under 1/2" and pulling tight. Work from the center out, trying to evenly space the upholstery tacks, until you reach the corners.

Fold the corners neatly and tack in place. You are done!

I love how this new fabric looks. Such a change from the old. If only I was brave enough to tackle the chair I have had for twenty years that needs upholstering!