DIY Children Stools made from Spools

A while back I came across two small wood spools that someone was getting rid of so I grabbed them in hopes of making a craft out of them. They sat in our garage for a while but I finally got around to turning the wood spools into cute children's stools. The stools are fairly easy to make and affordable. After a little trial and error, my husband and I finally figured out an easy way to make the stools. The Children's Stools are made to match the No-Sew Outdoor Pillows I made earlier this summer.

Supplies:

• Small Wood Spool
• Spray Paint
• Plastic Shopping Bags
• Outdoor Rectangle Vinyl Tablecloth - my tablecloth was $3.98 at Walmart. They usually have cheap ones at the beginning of every season; for a bright design you will have to wait until spring/summer.
• Staple Gun & Staples
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

How To:

1. Spray paint the wood spool. Let Dry. The top of the spool will be covered so you do not have to paint it.

I used two cans of spray paint to fully cover both of the spools because I chose a lighter color. If you are only making one stool, one can of spray paint should be enough.

2. Cut a piece of cardboard and tablecloth to cover the top of the wooden spool. 

The cardboard acts as a base for the cushion. It also covers the bolts and the center hole of the wood spool.

I traced the top of my spool onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out using an X-Acto Knife. I had some leftover outdoor vinyl tablecloth from when I made the No-Sew Outdoor Pillows and cut it in half to use on my two stools.

3. Tack the cardboard to the top of the wooden spool using a hot glue gun.

4. Form a cushion for the stool by bunching a bunch of plastic shopping bags together. Make sure you have enough to cover the entire top of the spool and that they are a thick enough cushion for the stool. I tested mine out by sitting on it before I covered them up. 

I chose plastic shopping bags because they are free and I'm recycling them by turning them into cushions. I'm also hoping the plastic will act as a water repellent. Since I'm making the Children's Stools for outside I didn't want to use a material that would absorb the water and get moldy over time.

5. Lay out the tablecloth and flip the spool and plastic bags onto the tablecloth making a sandwich (see picture to the right). Make sure you push the spool down tight on top of the plastic bags to get all of the air out.

6. Begin folding/rolling the tablecloth over the plastic bags onto the spool. You can tack the tablecloth with a hot glue gun then go back and secure it with a staple gun OR you can just use a staple gun and secure the tablecloth as you go. Make sure to pull the tablecloth tight as you secure it.  

This is a two person job. I folded/rolled the tablecloth and held it in place while my husband secured it using the staple gun. I tried it by myself and messed it up so had to redo it so I recommend asking for help. 

7. Flip the spool over and enjoy your new, stylish Children's Stool.

These Children's Spool Stools are great for inside and outside. You can use them as decoration or as a child's seat. They would make a great addition to a reading corner, a classroom, sunroom or any patio. You can make the Children's Spool Stools in any color scheme and pattern you want to match your home. 

INSIDE STOOL: If you are planning on keeping your stool inside you can use fabric instead of a tablecloth and fiber fill cotton stuffing or an old pillow instead of plastic bags if you want. 

OUTSIDE STOOL: If you are planning on keeping your stool outside, an outdoor vinyl tablecloth and plastic bags are best to use because they will help keep the cushion part of the stool water resistant.  You could possibly try a shower curtain or outdoor material but an outdoor vinyl tablecloth will be the cheapest. 

UPDATE: 
If you are planning on keeping your stool outside, I also recommend possibly trying to attach a rod or something in the center of the stool. I have yet to do so, but I quickly found out that once it rains, it softens the center of the spool because it is made from a thick cardboard material and if it hasn't had time to dry and your toddler jumps on it, it will cause the stool to bend and possibly break. By attaching a rod to the center of the stool you will help secure the stool and hopefully help prevent the stool from bending like ours did.

The vinyl tablecloth isn't as water repellent asI had hopped as water still found it's way into the bags but I also left it outside all summer, fall and winter. The stools lasted about two years before I got rid of them. They may of lasted a little longer if I had stuck a rod in the middle to support them or brought them in when it rained.