By Carol Duvall
This little purple fur toadstool (mushroom) is an easy-to-make project that any little girl might love to have in her bedroom as her very own grown-up stool. Of course, if purple fur is a little rich for your blood, this same little stool can be made in any color, plain or print, that you desire. Materials: small round wastebasket (figure A)*
14-1/2-inch circle of 1/2-inch thick plywood (figure B)
fabric and foam to cover wastebasket
16-1/2-inch circle of five-inch thick piece of foam for seat**
heavy-duty stapler
long serrated blade
wood glue or double-sided pull-off tape
drill
four screws at least one inch long * The wastebasket used for our footstool was a small plastic one purchased at the 99 cent store. It measured 9-1/2 inches across at the top, seven inches across at the bottom and was 10-1/2 inches tall. ** The foam used in our stool was retrieved from an old sofa cushion and cut to size. Cushions of this type are occasionally available at yard sales, however, the thick foam can also be purchased at upholstery shops and at many fabric stores. If you are unable to find the five-inch thick foam, use two thicknesses of the two-inch foam. The circle should be cut so that it is one inch larger than the plywood all the way around, using a knife with a serrated blade. An electric knife is perfect. Cut so the sides are straight up and down. Steps: 1. Cut a circle of the fabric six inches larger than the plywood circle. On top of this, stack the foam circle and on top of that, place the plywood circle, centering it over the foam (figure C). 2. Pull up on the fabric, pulling it as hard as you possibly can, pulling in one spot only. Pull it up the side of the foam and over to the plywood. After pulling it around and under the wood and foam, staple in that spot. Repeat the procedure in a spot on the other side, directly opposite the first. Repeat at the midway spots on either side. 3. After stapling the fabric in four equally-spaced spots, start to do the same in the in-between spaces until all of the fabric has been pulled up and over the foam and the plywood, and it is securely stapled to the plywood (figure D). You should have a small area in the center of the plywood that is uncovered. Cut a circle of the fabric and glue to cover this area. It is important that this circle is smaller than the bottom of the wastebasket, which in this case is seven inches. The sides of the foam should now have a gently-curved surface rather that be straight up and down. 4. Turn the bottom of the wastebasket upside down and mark four Xs evenly-spaced around the bottom, placing them about 1/2 to one inch in from the outside edge (figure E). With a hand drill, drill holes in the plastic at these spots. These are holes for the screws, so size them accordingly. Ours are about 1/8 inch. 5. With the top of the stool foam- and fabric-covered plywood seat upside down on the tabletop, place the wastebasket in position with the bottom of the basket centered on the bottom of the seat. Mark a spot through each one of the screw holes onto the fabric. Remove the basket and start to drill a hole at each one of the dots. This will make it easier to actually attach the wastebasket with the screws later. 6. Turn the remaining fabric upside down on table and roll the side of the basket over it (figure F), marking both the top and bottom edges. Remove the basket and cut out fabric about one inch beyond each of the drawn lines. 7. Wrap the fabric around the basket and glue it at the overlap to hold. Fold back the extending fabric along both the top and bottom of the basket and glue to hold. 8. Place the basket upside down under the top and attach the with four screws. Done!
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