How to reupholster a footstool - please critique my method!

I bought this cute little footstool at a garage sale - it's an inexpensive catalog-store type item, and it originally had a brocade upholstery. Cute, but not my style. When I saw this black and white paisley material, I couldn't wait to pair it with the dark wood of the footstool...but to my surprise, I got tired of it quickly. It could have to do with the "re-do" of the nook described in my earlier post, which called for a lighter look. Here's how I achieved the look I wanted:

I removed the screws from the top (or lid) so that I could work with it separately.



Using a pair of needle-nose plyers, I removed all the staples from my previous upholstering.



To re-cover the lid with new fabric, I cut a piece using the old piece as a template. If you decide not to remove the old fabric, you can use the item you are reupholstering as a template, adding 1.5 -2 inches of excess fabric around the entire perimeter so you have enough to staple to the back. Pull taut, but not so tight that fabric will rip or wrinkle, and staple. The corners can be tricky - try wrapping them as you would a present with wrapping paper - check the front for folds or creases before you staple.





One of the legs was a little wobbly, and the wood around the screw was stripped, so I added some wood glue to stabilize it. In hindsight, next time I will also add some wood filler, as the glue wasn't enough by itself.



I sprayed the base a bright white (two coats, about 1/2 hour between coats)



re-attached the lid, and voila!!



How'd I do?? For other newbies like me, I hope this was helpful. For those of you talented folks out there (and I've seen a lot of you!!)...PLEASE CRITIQUE!! I'd really love to get your feedback!

Thanks, and until next time...have a great week!
Mona Kay