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After the wood was stripped, sanded, stained and finished with urethane, I started on the seat cover. I chose burlap for the backing because it's easy to count the threads to keep a pattern uniform. One disadvantage of burlap is that it wears through fairly quickly. If your stool is going to get lots of use, a firmer material would be better.
I cut a piece of burlap large enough to cover my stool's top with enough extra to turn under during the upholstery process and a little extra in case the loosely woven material unraveled. You can always trim it to size later.
I drew my border design on the burlap lightly with pencil. Working from the outside in, I first created the frame for my picture. I then drew my central picture on newspaper and transferred it to the burlap, again using light pencil marks. I chose my float cabin and garden for my design.
If you are looking for a good resource on embroidery, go to Sharon b's Dictionary of Stitches for Hand Embroidery and Needlework. It's has both photographs and descriptions of numerous stitches.
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Here's the pattern I used for my border. You can use it and then customize the central picture to match your life and interests, or just keep working in geometric shapes. Don't have a stool? The same method can be used for pillow covers.
Fortunately, the stool's padded plywood seat was still in useable condition. When the cover was done, I used upholstery tacks to secure it to the plywood bottom.
So, if you are looking for a simple way to create a unique focal point in your home, try yarn embroidery on burlap.
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