Step One

Lay the plastic tablecloth on a flat surface. Lay the black canvas on the table cloth. I work one color at a time, to prevent the paint from drying out before I get to it. Pour a tiny bit (a little goes a long way) of Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Metallic Silver, Pearlescent White, True Gold, Sunset Gold, Metallic Bronze, and Bright Gold onto the paper plate. Add a few drops of water to each color on the plate. Mix the water and paint together with the stiff paintbrush. Flick the paint onto the canvas by rubbing a finger across the paintbrush tip, or rubbing the paintbrush tip across one fingertip. The splatter will be larger if the paint has more water. If the paint dispurses too light and drippy, there is too much water in the paint. You must find the right mix for the best results. After all of the colors have been splattered onto the canvas, rinse the paintbrush well. Let the canvas dry before removing it from the tablecloth.

Step Two

Open the tuffet kit. Lay the batting out flat. On top of the batting, center the foam tuffet. Lay the wood circle on top of the tuffet. Load the staple gun with a strip of staples. Pull one side of the batting up tight onto the wood round. Press the staple gun onto that section of batting about 1″ from the wood round edge, and pull the handle. If you have never staple upholstered a piece of furniture, using a staple gun will take some practice. Don’t fret. Any mistakes can be removed with pliers, or if the staple is almost flat with the wood a hammer can get it in the last tiny smidge.

Turn the tuffet around half way, pull the batting up again, tight against the foam, and staple again. Turn the tuffet a quarter, pull the batting up again, tight against the foam, and staple again. Turn the tuffet around half way, pull the batting up again, tight against the foam, and staple again. The tension should be even across the tuffet. Continue pulling up the batting taut and stapling until the batting is evenly secured on the wood round. Use scissors to cut the excess batting about 1/2″ away from the staples.

Step Three

Lay the painted canvas face down on the work surface. Center the tuffet batting side down on the canvas back. Repeat the 1st 4 staples, overlapping the fabric onto the stapled batting. Pleat the fabric sides around the tuffet and staple into place. This is a little tricky, as you’re working with canvas and trying to keep the tension even while stapling. Tuffets normally have a cover that is sewn to the exact foam measurements. However, for this tuffet, I wanted to try something new and perhaps easier for the novice upholsterer. Take your time and remember that mistakes can be removed with pliers. When all the pleats have been stapled into place, cut away the excess canvas, about 1/2″ away from the staples.

Step Four

With chalk, on the top of the tuffet, sketch out the moon and sun shape. This can be close to my design or your own idea. Mistakes can be erased with water.

Step Five

Using a soft paint brush and the Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Pearlescent White fill in the biggest moon section. Using a soft paint brush and the Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Brightest Gold fill in the sun face. With a smaller paint brush, fill in the sun triangles with Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Metallic Bronze, and the moon rays with Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Metallic Silver. Use a liner paintbrush and Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Metallic Rust to paint the sun face details and outline the sun. Use Jacquard Lumiere Fabric Paint in Pewter to paint the moon eye and outline the moon. Let the paint fully dry before moving onto the next step.

Step Six

Lay the tuffet onto the Jet Black Olyfun and loosely cut out a circle shape around the tuffet. Using the staple gun, neatly attach the OlyFun to the tuffet bottom. This is layer to protect the batting and canvas edges, and make the bottom look neat. Cut away excess OlyFun neatly about 1/4″ from the tuffet edge.

Step Seven

Set the 4 hair pin legs on the tuffet bottom. Use a measuring tape or ruler to make sure the legs are evenly spaced. You want them away from the stapled edge, so you aren’t drilling through thick layers later. Use chalk to mark the screw holes. Using the drill, a drill bit that matches the screw top (x or flat), attach each screw through the holes with the drill. An impact drill will make the hole and insert the screw at the same time. A regular drill won’t do this. If you aren’t confident in your drill usage, have a more experienced friend help and teach you how to use a drill. Power drills are a good tool for any crafter.

NOTE: If your screws create tiny metal pieces, do not touch them with your hand. This is called a stripped screw and can happen if the screw isn’t a strong metal or the bit is too small for the screw top. Use a wet paper towel to wipe down the screw area, removing all the extremely sharp metal bits. Metal splinters hurt.
Speaking from experience here.

Step Eight

Flip the tuffet over and set it on the floor. Sit on the tuffet to check stability, or prop your feet up on it. I chose hair pin legs instead of bun feet, so the tuffet was a good height for a leg rest.