Farm Crate Foot Stool
by
A
5 Materials
$70
6 Hours
Medium
This won't be a super informative tutorial. I made this foot stool before I started posting tutorials so I don't have any step-by-step photos to show you. I was in need of a foot stool because I have to put my legs up when I sit in my comfy chair. I had been collecting old farm crates of various sizes and thought that maybe this would be a good starting point for my foot stool. My dad was a farmer, as is my brother. I grew up working on our blueberry farm and still sell and deliver them now, many, many years later. I love everything about a farm...the tools, machines, the produce, and even that farm smell that never leaves my memory. I wanted a piece of that in my home.
I'm going to go in reverse here, showing you the finished project first since I really can't show you where I started. I chose a fabric pattern that was "vintage" and had all of the colors of my living room. I didn't finish the crate in any way because to me it is perfect just as it is. I love that the stamp is of a local farm.
This is what it looks like with the cushion removed. I wanted some storage for my crochet, but I wanted it handy to where I sit. Everything fits in there nicely.
This is the underside of the cushion top. I used a 1/2" board cut to the outside dimensions of the crate, 4" foam, a layer of batting and the fabric to cover it all. I shaped the foam to have a "hump". Instead of just stapling the fabric to the board beneath, I made sides and piping and fit it over the foam. I then cut another, thinner board cut to the inside dimensions of the crate with the corners cut away. I covered that board with a thin fabric so it looked better when the cushion was removed. Everything was screwed together. If I were to do it again, and I will, I am going to re-engineer this piece of the project. It works nicely, but it doesn't look very professional.
The height of the stool was very important to me. I have chronic back pain and an inch one way or the other will make a difference. The original legs I bought for the stool were too high. These worked out to be just right. That is "My Chair" and the one in the background is its mate. They were my grandmother's and I had the set reupholstered. This is now my "happy place".
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