Kidston Envy

We keep this little stool next to the bathtub to hold shampoo bottles and razors and stuff, and, lately, it's been looking a little more decrepit than distressed. I cleared it off and sat thinking about it. Should I paint it? Put a tray on top of it? A doily? A folded linen towel? Finally, I realized what I really wanted: oilcloth.

Yvonne at The Yvestown Blog is always covering things with oilcloth. Cath Kidston oilcloth. (Pardon me while I swoon.) I told myself, "Go online and buy yourself some Cath Kidston oilcloth. It won't take that much, and it'll make you so happy." Okay, except buying Cath Kiston oilcloth in the US is practically impossible. And even if I was willing to pay to have it shipped from the UK, all the patterns I liked were out of stock. (Probably a good thing, as I see now how much postage would have cost!)

So I checked ReproDepot's selection of oilcloth. Much more reasonable, but no patterns that would work for this project. Checked Etsy. Nope. Googled it. Nope. It was starting to look like I could just forget about this idea. Maybe I'd just cover it with fabric and resign myself to replacing it every few months.

But wait! What about iron on vinyl? Yes! I dragged Gerry to the fabric store with me on Monday to see if they had it. No one who worked there had ever heard of it, but I kept looking and finally found it with the packaged Heat 'n Bond. It was even on sale! Then I picked out a Kidston-esque fabric and some white upholstery tacks (also half price, whee!).

The iron on vinyl worked great! I was a little wary of it, thinking it might be a mess, but it was easy to position and fused to the fabric well. My one complaint is with the grid on the vinyl's paper backing. I assumed they were one inch squares, and they weren't, so I wound up cutting a too-small piece of vinyl. Ooops. The resulting laminated fabric isn't as thick as oilcloth, but it's fine for something like this. Maybe I'll use the other piece to make a little cosmetic bag or something, and then I'll let you know how it works in sewn projects.

And here it is back in its spot next to the tub!