How To Make No Sew Kitchen Stool Top Covers

How to make fabric stool covers for a plain kitchen stool top using a colorful dishtowel. No sewing skills or machine is needed.

How To Make No Sew Kitchen Stool Top Covers

I am going to show you how I made these flirty stool covers for the kitchen. I made these a long time ago and only have a few photos that I scanned from the decorating book I wrote back in 1994 called, Instant Decorating.

The book was published by Meredith Press (BHG) back in 1994. To promote the book I was a guest many times on the Our Home Show that was taped in New York and shown on the Lifetime Channel. These stools were one of the projects from my book that I demonstrated how to make on TV.

The book is out of print, but the projects that included chair slipcovers and no-sew window treatments as well inexpensive ideas that are easy to make. The book is dated, but the techniques are easily adaptable with today’s style, colors and fabrics.

I used dishtowels to cover the tops of the stools, but any fabric will work even napkins if you use larger ones. The nice thing about using dishtowels or napkins is that you can use the finished edges on them and not have to sew your own hem.

The Stools Before

The stool with the brown pleather cover that look likes a pin cushion with legs in the above photo is what my stools looked like before I added the blue and white dishtowel covers.

I no longer have these stools, but the dishtowel covers lasted for about 3 years. I gave them to a neighbor when we moved to a new home that didn’t have a kitchen island.

How to Use Napkins for the Stool Covers

To make the stool covers I cut the napkins into pieces, and then used iron-on adhesive and a few hand stitches to create the cover.

I have found when working with iron-on adhesive, after you press it with an iron  once, let the fabric and adhesive cool, then press again.  Don’t handle until the bond is cool again.  This extra step creates a stronger bond.

supplies needed:

• Stool with padded top
• Three – 20 x 27 inch or larger dish towels
• Staple gun and staples
• 3.4 roll of iron-on adhesive or fabric glue
• Embroidery floss or yarn to match dish towel
• Large-eyed sewing needle
• 45 inches of 1/2″ round cord
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

1. Lay dish towel on work surface. Cut dish towels as shown in (Figure 1), creating one top piece, two ruffle pieces, two cord cover pieces and two band pieces.
2. Center top piece on top of stool and staple underneath seat, pulling the dishcloth or fabric taut as you work around the stool. Trim excess.
3. Turn the two ruffle pieces so the towel’s manufactured finished edge is the bottom hem of the ruffled skirt. Fold raw edges over 1/2 inch, fuse with iron-on adhesive or fabric glue, and press.

4. Matching pattern if necessary, fuse together the two ruffle pieces by overlapping manufacturer’s finished edges  with a 1-inch seam to create on long ruffle piece. (Figure 2)

5. Thread enough floss through needle to go around stool plus 10 inches and knot end. Sew a running stitch across the top of ruffle piece. Gather fabric by pulling dish towel back on thread. (Figure 3)

6. Wrap floss around stool so top edge of ruffle and stool meet. Tie two ends of floss together to hold ruffle on stool. Trim excess threads. Adjust fabric along floss so gathers are spread out evenly.

7.Place the two band pieces right side sown. Fold long edges over 1-inch, fuse, and press. Matching pattern if necessary, fuse together the two band pieces by overlapping manufacturer’s finished edges with a 1-inch seam to create one long band piece.

8. Lay the two cord-cover pieces right side down side by side, with edges overlapping slightly. Matching pattern if necessary, fuse together the two cord cover pieces by overlapping manufacturer’s finished edges with a 1-inch seam to create one long cord-cover piece.

9. Center cord on wrong side of cord-covered piece and wrap fabric around cord do edges meet. Place a line of iron-on adhesive or fabric glue as close as possible to cord and press excess fabric that extends beyond cord. Repeat along entire length of cord. Let dry. (Figure 4)

10. Lay band piece right side down and lay cord cover on top of band piece so that cord is above the top of band and excess cord-cover fabric lies on the band. Fuse or glue excess cord-cover fabric to band. Let dry. (Figure 5)

11. Wrap cord/band piece snugly around stool so cord is slightly above top of stool. Butt cord ends together and trim excess. Hand stitch close with floss. Put a line of hot glue into crevice between top of stool and cord to help hold in place. Let dry.

More Stool Makeovers You May Like:

• How to Make New Cushion Covers for Wood Bar Stools
• The Stool That Nobody Wanted Made Into an Ottoman
• Houndstooth Step Stool
• Plain to Preppy Stool Makeover Using DIY Chalk Paint