i made this stool when Lee was a baby (8+ years ago now!) i saw one like it at a parenting drop-in centre and learned it was made from juice cans. a little research just told me juice can stools were popular in the 1950s. we like that it's soft, light, sturdy, and easily portable for little hands.
our leopard stool has proven to be such a lasting and popular item around here i thought i'd share it with you.
you'll need:
- 7 large juice cans with tops intact for stability (old fashioned piercing can-opener to make a hole to get the juice out). the ones i used are about 8" tall- any similar size would work. i collected them from the drop-in centre we used to go to. we don't really drink juice!
- batting
- poly-fil type stuffing
- upholstery thread (extra strong)
- needles, scissors, pins, iron
- 1 yard fabric of heavy-ish weight for the body of the stool (ours is velveteen)
- heavy weight fabric for the bottom of the stool (ours is black canvas)
cut 6 rectangles of fabric and and 7 of batting (the inside can won't need a fabric cover). each piece should be 1" taller than the height of the can, and 1" longer than the circumference.
wrap each can and stitch up the seam. leave a 1/2 inch overhang at the top and bottom.
fold to the center the edges at the top and bottom of each can and sew across (like spokes on a bicycle wheel) to secure.
repeat until you have 6 fabric and batting covered cans. for the 7th can, you only need to cover it with batting.
arrange the cans like so
and tie the whole lot together with a rope to hold them still and tight. sew the cans together with your heavy thread. i sewed each can to the middle one, and then each can to its neighbour, and then sort of randomly all around so they're all REALLY TIGHT together. do this on the top and the bottom.
on paper, trace around your cans with a 1/2" extra (seam allowance) all around.
cut out a 'bottom' piece. cut out a top piece ADDING ANOTHER 1/4" all around seam allowance (this will leave room for the stuffing at the top)- i.e.- your top piece will be 1/4" bigger all around than your bottom.
fold each piece over 1/2" and iron. you may have to clip the fabric a bit where the curves meet in order to preserve the shape.
pin and sew the bottom in place. pin and sew the top, leaving a space open to stuff the top. fill as much or little as you like will poly-fil type stuffing. this will cover all the ridges of the can and give the top a smooth surface. finish sewing the top closed.
yay! take turns jumping off your new foot stool.