hassock re-upholstery: introduction

First of all, what is a hassock?

It’s a footstool, and quite possibly a vintage word – I had never heard the word “hassock” until I found mine at my favorite rummage sale. I enjoyed this post’s theory on the disappearance of the hassock: did La-Z-Boy recliners play a role in its demise?? In any case, footstools, ottomans, or hassocks are small, quaint items of furniture for resting your feet.

clockwise from top left. yellow pleather: VintageLooks; yellow pouf: fezart on etsy; yellow wool: PDX Picker; orange pleather: RetroMama65 on etsy

In my opinion, what may make a hassock a hassock, rather than an ottoman, is the legs. And I do have a fondness for furniture with tapered wooden legs. Those tapered legs, along with the end-of-the-sale $5 price tag, prompted me to scoop up this green pleather hassock a few years ago.

Years? Yes, I’ve left my ripped, mediocre-green-pleather covered hassock untouched for years, all because of that one big scary word: re-upholstery. I’ve refinished furniture, I’ve upcycled clothing, but I’ve never dealt with upholstery… and it’s always sounded so difficult!

I had some fabric planned for the project, but a trip to Toronto, Ontario’s King Textiles in February changed all that. It’s a beautiful, fully stocked fabric store, and this wool caught my eye. I love the multi-colored “blubs” and the fact that it’s multi-colored while retaining some sophistication. Perfect hassock material.

Armed with a ripped hassock cover and some gorgeous fabric, all I was lacking was a bit of gumption. Finally, I jumped right into the project, big-scary-words and all. I’m reupholstering this hassock, and over the next few posts I intend to share the process with you… because it’s not the least bit scary.

This post is the introduction to my mini Hassock Reupholstery series. More coming soon!