Pillows & Cushions III Embroidery Project

Cushions are part of the pillow family. After all they both are designed as a soft spot for some part of the body. Most people haven't given too much thought to barstool cushion embroidery. But it's possible. Unfortunately, most of these cushions are permanently attached (stapled) to the barstool. No easy zippers here. But they can still be removed, just a bit more labor is involved. If you are going to use the existing covering, then be sure to mark the placement before removing from the barstool. Once removed, you will have a nice flat piece of fabric to work with.

Barstool coverings come in a wide assortment of fabrics. Most fabrics can be hooped quite easily. Leather, however, is a different story. Because hoop marks can be difficult if not impossible to remove, leather barstool covers should be hooped using the “hoopless” method. This still requires the use of a hoop, but doesn’t entail capturing the fabric between the inner and outer rings. Instead, you will hoop a piece of adhesive backing, with the adhesive side up, and press the fabric down onto the adhesive surface, which will hold it in place during embroidery. As an alternative, you can use standard backing and coat it with a spray adhesive. Also, you can substitute window frames for the hoop.

The most likely place for a barstool is in the kitchen area. So logically, any design would reflect the kitchen décor. An embroidered barstool probably won’t have the significance of an embroidered throw pillow, since someone will be sitting on it, hiding the embroidery. More than likely, a suitable stock design can be found and used. But it’s always open to custom creations as well. Also, frequent sittings could damage or discolor the embroidery, so consider some type of clear plastic cover to protect it.

MARKETING TIP - List everything in a house that can be embroidered, then approach an interior designer and sell them on ideas to offer to their customers.