Toadstool Footstool (Mushroom Pouf)

Project: Toadstool Footstool

Cost: $0

I wanted a cute footstool, but didn’t want to spend any money on it, so here’s how I made one using stuff I had around the house.

I started with a plastic tub that my cookie cutters arrived in. (If I did this again I’d buy a bucket and turn it upside down so that the mushroom stem would have a wider base instead of being cylindrical).

I removed the handle and packed it with cardboard.

I cut out a circle of red cotton using the plastic tub as a stencil and then extending the edges. (My dimensions were ultimately determined by the size of the scrap fabric I had on hand). I pinned little circles of white linen on the red cotton and stitched them down. The mushroom top was stitched to another scrap of white linen (with a couple inches left open for stuffing).

The “pouch” was turned inside out, stuffed and then stitched closed.

I stuffed the mushroom with fabric scraps. (Again, I was trying to get rid of stuff!) If you use polyfill your mushroom will be a little less lumpy.

The base of the mushroom was made by sewing a rectangular piece of white linen into a tube, and then sewing a circle to the end of one tube. (The plastic tub was used as a template). This creates a “sack” that was slipped over the tub. Then the tops of the extra fabric were folded down and stitched to each other.

The stuffed mushroom cushion was then sewed onto the base.

Voila! A toadstool footstool.