Hey there! lots going on behind the scenes here getting ready for the next line release, not to mention Quilt market. More on that in future postings. For now,check out this kid friendly bean bag chair from the ever creative Joanna of Stardust Shoes. What kid wouldn't want to plop down on this Dick and Jane comfy spot and take a trip back in time with reprints of those Dick and Jane Readers from the 60s.download the tutorial here.
52 comments:
I was just thinking of making some bean bag chairs for Christmas! Thanks :)
What a cute idea! Love them!
SOOOOOooooo Great! Now, I just need some time! :(
Im making those for christmas for my kids...
Ooo, this is going on my must-do list!
That would be perfect in my kid's playroom! It looks easy to make!
i have just found the beads on sale at my local fabric store - i'll put this on my list
Love the bean bags!!!
We just got bunkbeds for our girls to free up some floor space to make a reading nook. What was I looking to put in that spot - you guessed it - beanbag chairs! This tutorial is really well done. Thank you so much for sharing it!
my 6 year old son would love one of these chairs for his room! Thanks for the instructions too!!
I'm really excited about this bean bag tutorial. However, I'm a novice sewer and although I read the instructions through a couple of times I'm a little bit confused about the patterns. Don't they need to be enlarged? And, if so, by how much? Thanks!
I am getting ready to make these and I don't know if I am supposed to enlarge the pattern and what size the bean bag should be? Please hurry with the answer as Christmas is coming! Thanks!
Hi Tricia and sophia, you don't need to enlarge the pattern. I'll try to explain what made it "click" mentally for me when reading Joanna's instructions: she says you'll end up with a "football shape", that's when I realized that to end up with that shape it requires the 2 folds: 1 vertical (parallel with the selvage) and the other horizontal. all this is explained in her instructions and re-enforced with the picture - so go back and think FOOTBALL SHAPE when you look at it this time. hope this helps.
Hi Tricia and Sophia--
Yeah, what Kathy said. :) The whole folding thing is just a shortcut so that you don't have to do so much cutting. To spare yourself from making any mistakes with your fabric, I would recommend substituting a sheet of newspaper for fabric first, just to make sure you're getting it right. Or, you could always print out your pattern four times and tape all the pieces together so that you can see what a big pattern piece looks like (it's shaped like a football).
Good luck!
Did anyone run into problems with this pattern? I'm almost thinking not by some of the last comments. I noticed that the width of the pattern is 8 1/2" and the directions only say to fold in 8". Then it talks about sewing down 5/8", but never once does it say to sew those points together. Also, the 100 liter bag doesn't fill the bean bag at all, so I have to go purchase another bag of beans. What did I do wrong and no I did not enlarge the pattern.
Happy Hollister--is it possible that when you printed from the pdf your printer settings scaled the pattern to fit the page? That would explain why your pattern piece is larger than it should be. Make sure you choose the "do not scale" option.
Also, you don't need to sew completely to end of the points,just to the 5/8" mark. Otherwise you would have no seam allowance to work with when you got to the end of the points (not that it matters anyway, since the applique covers this all up and reinforces the top and bottom of the beanbag. Does this make sense? Hope this helps!
thank you for this, great tutorial.
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I'm a complete novice and I managed to make the bean bag within 24 hours between looking after the kids and the usual household chores. I had to hand sew the appliques on the outer cover as I don't have the machining skills necessary for that bit. The instructions were really clear and easy for me to follow. My boys are delighted with their bean bag, thanks!!
Hey thanks for the pdf link.
I stitched together some material I had lying around but I struggled to buy the filling locally. I see a few others had the same problem. In the end I managed to buy online at Bean Bag Filling
Renowned Italian designers developed the first bean bag chairs in the 1960’s. Their creation was called the ‘Sacco’, and was at the time described as an ‘anatomical armchair. It became the first mass produced bean bag furniture. Just like its counterpart these days, the Sacco was filled with polystyrene beads that made it lightweight and easy to mold to the shape of the body. Enhancements to its size and shape have occurred over time. In general the bean bag chair form remains true to the design of the Sacco from the 1960’s.
Believe it or not, the bean bag furniture is perfect for Feng Shui because of its shape. Practitioners of the art would tell you that the shape of household items is very important. And when it comes to shapes, circle has that balance factor all accounted for.
Interesting story as for me. I'd like to read more about that theme.
BTW look at the design I've made myself Russian escort
I absolutely love this! I have made 2 already but I was thinking of filling it with buckwheat instead of polystyrene. Anybody have any idea how much buckwheat I would need? Would it be the same? Thanks for the help.
Is this pattern large enough to be used for adult/teens? Or would you recommend enlarging it? Having a hard time visualizing the size of the finished product. Thanks!
I too was curious about trying to make an even larger bean bag chair for my older children(and yes my big butt too!!)! I'm also having trouble trying to visualize the size measurements. Does the length and width have to be any particular size? And how about the arch? HELP!!! :)
dear Anonymous and Heather,
since this tutorial has been so popular we're testing it in new prints and hope to have pictures posted in the next couple weeks to show the size (human being sitting in it!) and if it needs to be bigger for grown ups we'll add that tut-
in ref. to the length and size measurements - pls refer to mine and joannas previous comments- hope this helps-
I am trying to make these for Christmas- next week!! Can you tell us what size the pattern pieces are when printed? That would help to make sure we are cutting with the right size...
Thank you!!
I love these! I got my boys bean bag chairs for Christmas but they need covers. Can you tell me what size this bean bag cover ends up being? My chairs are 29.6 and would need a cover that is at least 30".
Can anyone help me? I'm struggling to understand and visualise how the hook & loop opening works. I don't know how to attach it to the panels. Many thanks Gemma
Hi. I am thinking about making these for my kids but wondering about using popcorn kernels. I know it would be heavier but cheaper and much more environmentally friendly. Has anyone gone this route? Thanks!
A bout popcorn kernels: Do you intend to pop it? Or just use it unpopped? Popping it would make it greasy, and I'd be concerned for several reasons about using it unpopped. Especially for kids. If they're young, either way could be a choking hazard. I'm not generally *super* concerned with things like this, but it's something to think about. Also, being a texture-y sort of person, I've noticed that the tapered end of popcorn kernels can be really poky. So, I'd be somewhat concerned that it would poke through the fabric and be uncomfortable. And besides that, I'd be afraid that the thing would be so heavy no one could move it. I mean, once something full of popcorn gets as big as a beanbag chair, you have to think that it might be quite like hauling a bag of feed corn or something. Which would lead me to question whether or not I'd want to sit on a bag of feed corn. HOWEVER... if you're not concerned with the weight, feed corn may be a better idea than popcorn kernels. Or even beans. I wouldn't use rice, though, as I've found it can be tiny enough to slip through stitching sometimes.
SO.. of course you should use your better judgement on this, but you might consider some different options.
I was reading somewhere that someone stuffed their beanbag with old packing peanuts, as well as fabric scraps and old pillow stuffing. So, you could just look around the house and reuse, reuse, reuse. Something that could be cheap as well as environmentally friendly?
Hope you're able to figure something out. :D
Hey! I just read that someone else was stuffing their beanbag with buckwheat hulls, soo.. there you go. Find some buckwheat hulls. Vegetable matter (so more environmentally friendly), but not heavy as heck!
I like this idea...
I can't open the tutorial for the beanbag chair. Trying to make one for our homeschool classroom. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
That would be perfect in my kid's playroom! It looks easy to make!
Thanks for sharing with us..
Can you give me the pattern of this bean bag! I want one for my room so bad!
Bean bag chairs may seem a teen’s item for a bedroom or living room, but the comfortable bags are durable, easy to move and mold to fit your body
I always wanted a bean bag chair when I was little but my mommy would never buy me one.
Such a good idea! Bean bag chair covers are a great project for both starting and experienced sewing projects, and the different kinds of filling they make now give you even more customization options!
Thank you one million times over. I made two adult chairs for my two boys and they love them. I put in a zipper closer instead of loop tape and added their initials to the top appliqué. I could not have done it without your direction and inspiration.
Hi Thank you for the great tuturial. I am a novice at sewing so i was wondering if someone could suggest a good durable fabric that I should use for the inner lining. Also is there a particular thread weight that would be best? I am really excited about making a couple of these for my kids, their birthdays are coming up in a week!
I like your blog,this is a very good and impressing blog.This blog is give me a good information related to the Bean Bag Chairs .I like your blog pictures these pictures are very useful for me. Thanks for it.........
I am really excited about this tutorial (and others) but it is saying page not found?!
Would anyone suggest lining the fabric to resist spills that will penetrate the bean bag chair fabric?
Oooh nice :)
I am making the child size bean bag for my daughters dorm room - I don't see anywhere on tutorial what size seam allowance to use when stitching panels together? Thanks!!!
when I download the child size tutorial it says the pattern is at the end but I don't see it on the last page of the pdf. My download is only 7 pgs long. Can someone advise me how to get the pattern?
If you would like to download the Bean Bag tutorial with the pattern pieces, please click on the bean bag image on the scroll bar on the right hand side of the blog's homepage.
Use a 5/8” seam allowance unless otherwise noted.
I am not seeing the pattern attached to they instructions any more :( Is there any way that could be attached again?
Thank you so much for this tutorial/pattern! I just made one for my little girl's room to hold her stuffed animals. Part storage, part comfy pouf to cuddle in. I used the flat sheet from her toddler bedding(she doesn't use it) and I got 3 panels from it and then used a coordinating solid pink crib sheet, when elastic is removed, yields 3 more panels. Perfect and it didn't cost me a thing! Next project: make one for my son out of his favorite Thomas the Train bedding!
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