Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Craft of the Week :: Garden Stools?

We have two Adirondack chairs and a hammock on our front porch...not the best for entertaining more than one guest...someone is almost always left standing. So when I saw these cute stools, I got so excited that I would be able to make more seating on the cheap!

Oh how I got way too excited way too soon! This project looks easy, right? Wrong-o!

First off, you can't really find these adorable stools anymore...I searched many a sporting good store for camping/fishing stools...nothin'! I found stools similar to this shape, but they were all made out of metal.

Strike One.

Now, for some reason I have some side tables (that have been sitting in a corner for years) that use a very similar frame and design...
The "Seat"

...might as well use what I've got! And speaking of using what I've got, I pulled out some old fabric (that almost feels like canvas) to use as the seat cover. Please, please, please make sure to use a strong, sturdy fabric like canvas if you plan on making this...the fabric needs to withstand the weight of a person and the strain of staples. Choose Wisely and Sew in Seams!

Add Stong, Canvas Sew Seams

And speaking of staples. This thing was NOT easy to staple into. If I had had a power stapler, it would have worked better...but who's going to have one of those laying around? And (!) since this side table already had built in support (bonus!), I had to work around that to get my fabric stapled in. Not easy. I had to use some of my storage boxes as support to keep the legs from closing on me while I stapled the fabric in. It wasn't pretty.

Stapling is Tricky

Strike Two.

So after much maneuvering, I got the cloth stapled on. And...I'm excited to say...it turned out really cute!
A Seat... ...if only in looks

However...I'm a little scared to sit in it. I did for about 10 seconds, but I had my hands pretty much holding all my weight as I gripped the sides. Maybe it was my stapling, or maybe it's the seat itself...but either way, I'm not gonna be using this as a chair. And I sure as heck not going to offer it to a guest!

Strike Three. That craft is Out!

However! As I am an optimist and tend to look on the sunny side of life, I have found a use for this "new" stool: A Luggage Holder for My Guests.


3 comments:

Randi~Dukes and Duchesses said...

I've always loved that craft and have had it clipped in my file for years but, like you, I could never find the right stools. Thanks for sharing this one ... think I'll skip it!

Cate said...

A luggage rack sounds like a perfect solution!

Amy said...

Ha! And THIS is exactly why I get scared when doing crafts because I would have never even made it to that step. You get an A Plus for effort :)