These mod, fun, retro tuffets were so much fun to make! Fairfield's Tuffet Kits made it so simple, that I made TWO!! My weinerdogs like them, too. That's Jens on the couch like he owns it. Otto didn't jump up in time for the photo op.
The modern twin tuffets fit perfectly in front of our white sofa and all the fabulous colors go great with the retro decor. We are pretty eclectic with a mix of mid century modern furniture and contemporary vibes.
You won't believe it, but that's BATTING spiraled and glued to the tuffets. Yes, it's really quilt batting from Fairfield™. It's the Purely Cotton quilt batting that dyes beautifully. I have the instructions here, but I will also post a complete color guide for all of you who want to do this. I'm ecstatic with the prospects of dyeing batting! It holds up beautifully, and I've already made pillows with a shibori dye method that turned out super spectacular. I'll be posting that project, too.
I know! Too much to share here, but it's coming!
The Fairfield™ Square Tuffet Kit is just great. It comes with the wood, cushion and a fluffy cushion cover. All you need is to cover it and add legs. I used Tulip® One-Step Dyes to dye the Fairfield™ Purely Cotton Batting, and used the Noire (Black) Fairfield™ Batting to add drama to the spirals. I found the perfect hairpin legs on Amazon that matched my mid century modern vibe.
The Oly*Fun™ sheets were what I used for backing the dyed batting spirals.
Fairfield's Oly*Fun™ is also sold by the yard, and was perfect for the squares I cut to put on the bottoms of the tuffets. I chose the color Slate.
Another great product is the Aleene's Tacky Spray, which came in handy for gluing the cushion to the wood base, and for gluing the spirals to Oly*Fun™.
Here's exactly what you'll need:
Materials for 2 Tuffets:
(2) Fairfield™ Square Tuffet Kits
(1) Fairfield™ Purely Cotton Quilt Batting (Natural)
(1) Fairfield™ Noire Cotton Quilt Batting (Black)
(4) Pkgs - Oly*Fun™ Craft Sheets (Black)
½ Yard - Oly*Fun™ Craft Material (Gray)
2 Yards – Black Cotton Twill Fabric
Supplies:
(2) Turquoise – Tulip® One-Step Dye
(2) Orange – Tulip® One-Step Dye
(2) Red – Tulip® One-Step Dye
(3) Disposable Bowls
Running Water
Rotary Cutter/Mat
Straight Pins
12” x 12” Foam Board
Aleene’s® Clear Tacky Spray Adhesive
Glue Resistant Scissors
(2) Sets/4 Hairpin Legs
Drill
Hot Glue Gun/Glue Sticks
Here's how to dye the batting and make the spirals:
Gather materials and supplies.
Cut batting into thirds to dye three colors.
Wet batting to saturate, then squeeze out water.
Place wet batting in disposable bowl and cover with plastic in dye kit. Repeat with other 2 pieces of batting.
Wearing gloves in dye kit, mix water in dye bottles according to directions, and apply to batting in tray.
Work dye into batting until completely saturated. Repeat with other 2 colors of dye on batting.
Cover dyed batting in bowls with plastic in dye kits. Let set overnight.
Rinse batting in running water until water runs clear.
Hang outdoors to dry.
Fold dyed batting to cut.
Cut dyed batting into 3/8” strips with rotary cutter on mat.
Cut black batting into 3/8” strips.
Pin end of black strip in center of foam board. Spiral the strip around until completely spiraled, pinning in place as needed. Continue spiraling alternating colors around the spiral and pin in place as needed until the spiral is the desired size.
Press batting with fingers to mold together, and carefully take out the pins.
In a well-ventilated area, spray glue onto black Oly*Fun™ sheet.
Carefully adhere Oly*Fun™ sheet (glue side down) to unpinned spiral. Press with fingers to insure adhesion. Let dry.
Cut around spiral with glue resistant scissors.
Repeat spiral process to make several color combinations.
Make several sizes of spirals. Have fun with it! I totally think these will make amazing coasters, placemats, a wall art piece.... the list keeps growing. I love this technique so much! And the best part, I can choose whatever color dye I want to match anything!!
Here's How to Assemble the Tuffets:
Gather Fairfield™ tuffet kit materials to assemble.
Glue the foam tuffet cushion to the wooden base with spray adhesive.
Tightly wrap provided Cushion Wrap around the foam and wooden base. Secure by stapling to wood, cutting off excess.
Trim Cushion Wrap on corners to fit flat when stapled.
Place the Black Cotton Twill Fabric over the cushion, cut to fit 3” from the edge and secure with staples.
Pleat corners of Black Cotton Twill Fabric to fit as you staple in place.
Cut 16” x 16” square of gray Oly*Fun.
Apply spray glue to Oly*Fun™ in a well-ventilated area.
Adhere Oly*Fun™ square to bottom of tuffet.
Place legs on tuffet base for placement.
Screw legs to tuffet with drill.
Pin finished spirals to tuffet(s) for placement.
Hot glue spiral to tuffet(s) to complete. (Option: Fabric Adhesive may be used in place of hot glue.)
And there you have it! Fairfield™ Square Tuffets in a modern design, with dyed batting swirls. It reminds me of Starry Night by Van Gogh, or maybe a mod movie set in the 70's, or maybe even a disco!
Happy Crafting!
Pattiewack
