Circus Tent Washing Basket Stool

Stitch a circus tent stool cover with an inbuilt cushion and laundry bag.

Posted by Cat Morley

About

I've been on the hunt for a cute stool for my dressing table for a long time and I really wanted one that could double as a washing basket. When Lumiere sent me some of their fabric paint, I was inspired to make my own and give it a cute circus tent look because laundry day is more fun when you can pretend you're lion taming socks!

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You Will Need (10 things)

  • Lumiere Fabric Paint in purple and silver
  • Cotton Fabric
  • IKEA Marius Stool
  • Paper & pencil for template
  • Scissors
  • Pins
  • Stuffing or a cushion
  • Masking Tape
  • Silver Rope
  • Velcro

Steps (39 steps, 240 minutes)

  1. 1

    Trace around the top of your stool on to a piece of paper to make a template.

  2. 2

    Add a 1/4 inch wide seam allowance around your circle.

  3. 3

    Cut out your template, fold your fabric in half and pin it on top through both sides of the fabric.

  4. 4

    Cut out the two circles and then cut a rectangle of fabric measuring 4 inches by the circumference of your circles with a few inches extra for seam allowance.

  5. 5

    Pin the rectangle around the edge of one of the circles.

  6. 6

    Stitch in place.

  7. 7

    Pin the second circle to the other side of the rectangle and stitch in place.

  8. 8

    Cut little triangles around the edge of the seam allowance.

  9. 9

    Fold your circle inside out and fill with stuffing. I used one of the cheap Ikea cushions to fill mine.

  10. 10

    Hand stitch the open side of the cushion and place on top of your stool.

  11. 11

    Loosely pin your fabric around the cushion so you can get an idea for how wide and how tall it needs to be. You want it to be a bit wider than you need so you can gather it at the top and give it a nice flow.

  12. 12

    Fold up the bottom edge and pin at the height you like.

  13. 13

    Unpin the fabric and hem the bottom edge properly. Fold over the top edge by 1/4" and then fold over by another 1/4", pin and sew. Repeat for either side of the fabric too.

  14. 14

    Pin the fabric at even spaces around the cushion.

  15. 15

    Fold over the loose fabric in between the pins to create gathers and pin.

  16. 16

    To make a scalloped trim, cut a single scallop template you like from cardboard. Fold a strip of fabric, wide enough to sit around your stool, in half so that the open edge is at the bottom and trace a scalloped pattern using the template.

  17. 17

    Sew along the lines you traced, leaving either edge unstitched.

  18. 18

    Trim off excess fabric and cut slits around the seam allowance of the scallops.

  19. 19

    Fold the fabric inside out and stitch up the open edges at either side.

  20. 20

    Paint with purple fabric paint and leave to dry.

  21. 21

    Use thick masking tape to create a strip pattern down the sides of your stool. Paint with silver fabric paint and leave to dry.

  22. 22

    Continue the stripe design on the top of your stool, meeting the points in the middle in a candy spiral design.

  23. 23

    Cover with masking tape and paint with silver fabric paint.

  24. 24

    Leave to dry before removing the tape.

  25. 25

    Meanwhile, we'll make the washing bag. Use the stool template from earlier to cut another circle of cotton and then cut a rectangle of fabric as tall as your stool and wide enough to match the circumference of the circle.

  26. 26

    Sketch out the word Laundry in your fanciest handwriting with a pencil in the middle of the rectangle.

  27. 27

    Paint with purple fabric paint and leave to dry. I also painted a rectangle border around the word with silver paint.

  28. 28

    Pin the fabric rectangle around the circle.

  29. 29

    Stitch around the circle.

  30. 30

    When your fabric is dry, pin the scalloped trim around your stool, gathering it at all the right places.

  31. 31

    Hand stitch the trim to the fabric and the cushion using thick thread.

  32. 32

    Cut a length of silver rope long enough to fir around the washing bag.

  33. 33

    Turn the washing bag inside out and place around the washing bag and knot together the ends loosely.

  34. 34

    Fold down the top edge by 1/4" and then again by another 1/4" pinning in place.

  35. 35

    We want to leave a hole at the top of our washing bag so we can pop washing in easily. Sew the sides of the washing bag up halfway and then fold over the fabric at either side by 1/4" and then another 1/4", pinning in place and then sewing each side, stopping just before you reach the rope.

    Sew along the top edge you folded over in the previous step too.

  36. 36

    Fold the washing bag inside out.

  37. 37

    Cut a long strip of iron-on velcro into three and pin the three pieces of the soft side around the washing bag.

  38. 38

    Iron the rough side of the velcro inside your washing basket stool, in positions to match the sides of your bag.

  39. 39

    Attach the washing bag to the velcro and hide away under your stool.