Whenever a house item is falling apart and looks as if it needs to be thrown out I feel like the logical thing would be to simply go to the store and buy a new one. However, as a DIY enthusiast and a bit of a penny pincher that is simply not an option! Instead I always find myself trying to give that item new life! Not to mention, it also saves an item from going to the landfill : )
In the case of my living room this old footstool has been a bit of an eyesore as the top fabric has been peeling off for some time now. It has definitely seen better days, but it is also totally still functional. It simply just needs a bit of a new look, or rather a simple DIY sewn footstool cover!
Learning How to Sew One DIY House Project at a Time
Before I dive into this project I do want to preface this and say that I am very much so a beginner when it comes to sewing. I wasn’t taught how to sew, nor did I go out a buy a new sewing machine. I am simply a young gal who wants to learn how to sew, was passed down an old sewing machine, and watches sewing tutorials here and there on YouTube.
My favorite way to learn however, has been one little DIY house project at a time : ) I think the easiest way for my brain to articulate how to sew something is to look at something that already exists (like my old frumpy footstool), study the seams and how it was put together, and then simply try to recreate it with my own creative flair : ) I find that this gives me the quickest jumpstart into a project too.
It’s really handy to live in a day and age where learning new skills, like how to sew, is so easily accessible on the internet, though sometimes I find that it can actually prevent me from actually starting as I get stuck in this cycle of consumption rather than taking action. That’s why I really like this way of learning how to sew as it forces me to just get going on the project : )
The Old Footstool:
When studying this footstool I noticed that the top portion was just a a few pieces of fabric sewn together for the sole purpose of adding some interest to the design. The next thing I noticed was that two long strips made up the edges of the footstool that were then stapled to the base of the footstool. Crazy that that was all there was to it! Unbeknownst to me I had just embarked on a super easy sewing project as a beginner!
Essentially for this project all I needed was a rectangular top piece of fabric and then two long and narrow strips for the side. I had previously stapled fabric to this footstool before and they didn’t last so I decided to try something new- sewing a little tunnel all around the bottom strip of fabric to run elastic through so that my footstool cover could just scrunchie itself over the footstool base.
The New Footstool Cover Design
Here is the footstool cover design I came up with:
I managed to find the perfect faux leather fabric for this project at Fabricland, and the best part, it was on clearance for just a couple dollars! Though I definitely did have to wait this out as the previous times I went shopping I saw it for sale for $40/ meter CAD, a price I was not willing to pay!
This project proved to be quite simple and straightforward. However, as a beginner I did struggle when it came to sewing the tunnel for my elastic. I am not sure why, but my thread kept bunching up and it was really difficult to push my fabric through my sewing machine as I was sewing. I wonder if it was because I was working with a stretchy fabric and a fabric that caught some resistance as it was more grippy against my sewing machine? I’m honestly not sure still, but the good thing was everything else was a breeze!
Even amidst that struggle I believe this footstool cover still turned out great! It definitely gave new life to this otherwise frumpy footstool and elevated its look greatly! & as far as the mistakes I made when sewing the tunnel, because that part is on the bottom of the footstool, no one can even see it! As a sewing beginner I would definitely call this project a win!
I hope this project inspires you to just start even if you’re a beginner too, who knows what lovely things you are capable of if you just try 🤍
Thanks so much for stopping by & stay tuned for other beginner friendly sewing projects as I adventure on myself!