Saving the piano stool

A while back, I picked up a prinker ink stained, piano stool. I found it through Freegle, which is our local free site to save items from the land fill. Someone from the village, had been storing it in her attic and she no longer wanted it. The stool is nothing special. Made purely for function. Unfortunately, the printer ink had made it totally unusable.

The ink had soaked into the seat and every time I moved or even touched it, I’d end up covered in fresh ink. Don’t be fooled by that seemingly small area of black on the seat in the photo. If all that ink came from one cartridge, then I would be a monkey’s uncle. There was so much of it. The cushion part was thoroughly soaked and could not be saved, or reused.

Once the cushion had been removed, the remaining stool was sanded down.

Next, I decoupaged it in an old world map. I like maps. I could spend ages looking at maps. Tearing this one into pieces, had the added advantage that I could spend even more time examining it.

Regular readers may remember the old frame I decorated with a map. I used the same method, and even the same map, for the piano stool.

Final part was to sort out the new cushion. I bought a thick piece of foam and cut it to size. Choosing the fabric was more difficult. I tried denim for a while, but then shifted to a soft, fleece fabric, which had been in my stash for years.

I’ve not fixed the fabric properly yet, as I wanted to see how it worked, but I think I will go with it. Anything that keeps the children sitting and practising their musical instruments for longer, has to be an advantage and I think this fabric does. The cushion is thick enough to be squishy comfortable, when you sit on it.

The piano stool is being used as a piano stool once more.

It works perfectly for anyone playing the keyboard and also stows away perfectly underneath it. Also it’s the right height for my daughter playing her harp. They can store their music books in the seat too. No more “Where is my music book?” as they rush out for a lesson.

The irony is that it will probably be replaced soon, as Middle Teen really wants to get a piano, which more than likely will come with a stool of its own.

I’m sure I’ll find a place for this stool, when the time comes. I spent too long with sticky fingers, arranging tiny pieces of map, to even dream of parting with this stool yet.

Maybe I could have a map room one day. Once the children leave home, of course.

(Footnote: I really like using Freegle. I passed on most of my baby stuff, including cloth nappies and maternity wear through it. We found someone who wanted an old caravan awning we had.  It saves items from being thrown away when they could have a new use.This time I was on the receiving side. I always think that systems like this work best if you can be a giver and a receiver.)