A velvet footstool worthy of Cinderella’s glass shoe

Ah, Velvet!

Velvet is my favorite fabric. It is luxurious, yet soft. Delicate, but rugged. It can be both feminine and masculine, refined and casual. … I can keep going, but you get the gist.

I still own a long black velvet skirt I wore to a NYE party when I was 19. Sadly, I haven’t been able to squeeze myself in it for the past decade or so. If you are wondering, it was those little closet dwellers that come out at night and sew clothes tighter. RUDE!

As upholstery and decor came into focus, I started using velvet whenever I could get away with it. I never passed up any velvet remnants, convinced that they will find a chair or ottoman to make happy one day!

On my latest trip to a local thrift store, a footstool, too small for any true use, drew my attention. Its metal legs were not cast iron or old, indicating a more modern product. They weren’t even attached to a frame, but screwed directly into the base of the cushion. And I was well aware that even refinished, it would be a tough sell, because it lacked practicality.

As soon as I saw it I pictured a purple velvet footstool with gold legs. So, I had to have it, And the rest is history, as they say.

After taking the “before” photos, I unscrewed the legs from the seat.

Even though original fabric featured an interesting design, it was too dirty. And I had something better in mind. That’s why, using the tack puller from my tools post, I removed the old fabric.

After stripping the seat, I was excited that foam was in great shape.

But, for a bit of extra cushion, I topped it with a layer of batting,

…and loosely attached it to plywood.

Next, I cut a square of luxurious deep purple velvet. I had it on hand for another project, slated for near future. As you can see from the photo, I didn’t worry about cutting super straight lines, because those will not show once the seat is done. I just made sure I cut extra two inches on each of the sides of the square.

I could already tell this would be the prettiest velvet footstool.

Attaching Fabric

Rule of thumb is to start with a staple in the middle of one side of the square. Then the next step is to make the fabric as tout as needed and then put a staple in the middle of the opposite side.

I followed these steps and then did the same on the other two sides. From there, I slowly started adding staples to the left and right of those first middle staples.

To make the seat even, I rotated and stapled only a couple of staples on each side, while pulling fabric out in the directions of diagonals. What I mean is, I don’t pull the fabric over the edge and down, but also to sides (outward) to make sure fabric is fully stretched out.

Things are not as simple as they look.

This process may look simple and straightforward, but it requires precision and patience. The slower, the better. On every project, I tend to run my hand over the fabric constantly to check tension and get rid of any bumps.

With velvet, this process is even more daunting, because the fabric is thick and slippery. Do, I needed to make sure this velvet footstool is perfect enough for its royal purple color and luxurious texture.

I repeated this process until I was a couple of inches away from the corners, creating those “ears”.

This is where I thought a button would be a nice addition. Awful timing on my part – I should have done this before I started stapling, when I could separate the wood.

Although, I have no pictured of the process, I simply drew diagonals and carefully drilled a hole where the lines crossed.

To finish the seat, I pulled every corner of the fabric, tightened it and stapled in the middle.

Then, I simply folded over the rest of the fabric, to make a clean corner. However, since velvet is so thick, I carefully trimmed excess fabric and removed unnecessary bulk.

Upon completion, it was even more obvious that I needed to add that button. And, I was ready to make it out of the velvet, but remembered I had some satin scraps. Coincidentally, I had altered a shirt the week before that was an identical hue of purple.

Why not!

I got my vintage button press out (its own blog post coming soon), cut satin fabric in a circle and made a cute button. Then, I took a 6in tufting needle and pushed it through the hole I drilled previously. I made sure it went all the way through foam and fabric, and marked the spot on the velvet.

Finally, I threaded the button with some strong yarn and the same long needle and pushed through the marked spot in the fabric though the hole in the bottom. After pulling the thread tightly to get the button to sink into the seat, I stapled the thread to the plywood. And finished it off with some light gray dusting covering the bottom.

Stool’s metal legs were elegantly simple and I just wanted to make them pop. Naturally, I turned to my obsession du jour – my favorite Metallic Gold Rustolleum Spray Paint!

I don’t think you can go wrong with the “liquid gold” and the end results speak for themselves.

What do you think? Have you ever seen a cuter purple velvet footstool? Will it ever find its life’s purpose, beside being beautiful? I imagine it being a fun photography prop – from wedding to family. But I am open to suggestions.