DIY Tufted Stool Makeover

Hi Friends!

This week I’ve been working on giving my bathroom makeup stool a makeover! My mom bought this stool at TJ Maxx YEARS ago and it’s time to make it finally match my bathroom. The hardest part was finding fabric that I liked! I originally wanted a cream or grey-ish leopard print fabric but the only ones I could find were all over $70 a yard online! This girls on a budget lol. I went to 3 different stores after searching online and finally just bought some grey crushed velvet fabric at hobby lobby. It was only $3.50 per yard with the 40% off coupon, SCORE! It might not be the leopard fabric I wanted but at least it matches my bathroom now. Some of the things you’ll need for this project are:

large upholstery needle
Polyester cord or heavy duty thread
fabric (I had 1 yard which was plenty)
staple gun
screwdriver
hot glue gun
pliers
scissors
button covers (optional)

Before:

The first step is to unscrew the base from the top. Once you detach it, flip it over and it should look something like this. Next you need to remove the black backing. I used a pair of pliers to pull it up all the way around and it came off pretty easily.

Now you need to cut the threads that are holding your buttons down and pull the buttons out from the top and set aside for now. Once you remove all of the buttons it’s time to start ripping off the old fabric. I used my pliers for this step as well.

Here’s how your cushion will look once you rip all of the old fabric off.

Next lay your new fabric right side down, and place your cushion on top (top of cushion facing down). I had 1 yard of fabric which was way too much for this project. Trim your fabric all the way around, leaving 2-3 inches extra on each side (it just depends how thick your cushion is).

Now start folding your fabric up onto the back of the board and make sure you pull it TIGHT. Start stapling it down with your staple gun. Make sure you’re tugging it tight as you staple it. It doesn’t have to look perfect as long as the fabric is tight on the other side.

Now to work on your buttons. I think I made this part way harder than it needed to be. Apparently you can buy craft button covers to make new buttons but I didn’t want to make another trip to Hobby Lobby so I used the original ones. I cut a scrap of fabric a little bit bigger than the button, and hot glued the edges down. I left the original tiger print fabric underneath. Just make sure if you hot glue the buttons that you don’t get hot glue in the hole of the button where your needle will need to go through. I made that mistake at first! You could also buy new buttons if you don’t want them to have fabric!

Once your buttons are re-covered it’s time to begin tufting! Thread your needle with a long piece of Polyester cord or thread. Insert the needle through one of the holes on the back of your cushion and try to keep it as straight as possible. Pull ONE end of the thread through to the top, the other thread should still be sticking out of the back of the board. Use the needle to go through the back of the button and then pull the end of the thread through the button.

Then put the needle back through the hole to bring it back through to the bottom side.

Pull the threads tight to secure your button and create a tuft. Staple the threads to the board a couple of times so they don’t slip over time. Repeat this process until all of your buttons are done. Here’s how mine looked when I finished.

Now that your cushion is done you need to paint the base! I have a separate post on how to do this here using my homemade chalk paint recipe that a friend gave me. Once you finish your base simply screw the cushion back on and WAH LA! You are all done and have a cute new stool. I’m happy with how mine turned out and so glad it finally matches the rest of the bathroom!