A Tuffet for My Little Miss Muffet

I had never truly appreciated the glory of Ikea until I married.

My mother-in-law is Swedish.

When we visit Ikea, the Hubby jokes that we're taking a trip to the "Mother Land." He obviously doesn't appreciate the value of having an Ikea nearby like his mother and I do.


On our last visit, while my kids were aiding in the destruction of the toy play area (along with about 17 other kids), this chunky stool caught my eye. It looked like the perfect base for a little tuffet. Sturdy, so it wouldn't topple and plastic, so no painting or splinters. Both good qualities in a toy for my Munchkins, since I'm sure this stool will see a lot of abuse over it's lifetime.

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I started out making a GIANT yoyo from my fabric. Yoyo's are super simple to make. If you need a good tutorial go here.

I didn't want a really round pillow. I wanted one with a slightly squared look. To achieve this, I cut my fabric into a 45 inch square. As I stitched around the edges, I folded the corner tips in to "round" the edges a bit.

I used #10 yarn (which is like small string) mostly because it's what I had on hand. I wanted something strong to hold up to the tension of the gathered yoyo and tufted button.

Once you've stitched around the entire square of fabric, pull your stitching to create a "gather" and tighten your yoyo. Stuff with fiberfill, pull tight, and tie off.

Flip pillow over, center button and stitch through all layers attaching your stitch to the back. If you push and shape the batting/stuffing out around the button, it makes it easier to "tuft" with fewer layers to stitch through.

Cut your ribbon in half, trim and heat seal your ends. Secure the ribbon around the bottom of the stool and tie up and around your pillow.

The stool is rather tall for my almost two-year-old. So, I didn't do anything to secure the pillow with anything more than the ribbon (I'm sure she'll be pulling the pillow off and putting it back on over and over and over again). However, if you wanted to make it more "permanent," you could stitch the ribbon to the pillow or add a strip or two of double sided Velcro to the seat and underside of the pillow.

Well, folks, there you have it...a super simple and quick makeover for a basic Ikea stool that turns into a darling Tuffet for any Miss Muffet!