DIY Beanbag Chair

Originally posted Nov. 2nd, 2009.

Ohdeedoh is one of my new favorite sites. A few weeks ago they featured this tutorial for a bean bag chair. The site said, "If you're even mildly handy with a sewing machine, it's quite easy to make your own." I'm mildly handy with a sewing machine, so I thought I'd give it a try!

I made a few adjustments to the instructions and layout. For example, I didn't make an insert and I just filled it with shipping peanuts. The total cost for my version was about $22 (three yards of fabric, some Velcro, and the shipping peanuts). It took me about three hours to make (and I'm a pretty slow seamstress).  I don't expect it to last forever. I just wanted to make a reading corner for the boys!

Here are the fabrics I choose. Just basic cotton pieces, three yards total.

I practiced first with a scrap piece of fabric before I started cutting the actual fabric for the bean bag. Here it is laid out with the pattern (here's a link directly to the instructions and pattern).

Sewing the pieces on top and bottom to gather it all together was the trickiest, but if I did it, you can do it too!

Here's the final product! I love how it turned out. The boys have jumped on it a few times and so far, it hasn't exploded! I had our church's best seamstress on "speed dial" just in case, but besides just a phone call to her when I was getting started (to ask what "selvedge" meant),  I did it all by myself!

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