Make a Pretty Pouf
With a can-do attitude, our step-by-step guide, and $50, you can create an on-trend pouf for your home that's charming and practical.
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Skim any home design magazine these days and you'll see that interior designers find poufs irresistible for their adaptability and usefulness. Get in on this hot trend without breaking your budget with our easy-to-follow instructions for making one of these stylish seats for well under $50. To keep our project affordable, we used a $7-per-yard linen burlap, a 54-inch decorator fabric that is durable and easy to work with. If you prefer another look, select a fabric that fits the same criteria.
Your first step is to gather your materials and tools for the project. Here's what you'll need:
Materials:
- Printouts of the pattern (see below)
- Scissors
- Tape
- 2 Yards of 54-inch-wide linen burlap
- 1 old light solid-color bed sheet -- any size (or 3 yards of 45-inch-wide muslin)
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- 1 spool (125 yards) heavy duty/upholstery thread to match burlap
- 2 large garbage bagsfull of fabric items for stuffing (old clothing, worn towels, fabric scraps)
- 1 5# box of fiberfill
- 1 roll fusible-web tape
- Large embroidery or straight upholstery needle
- 4 skeins embroidery floss to match or contrast fabric
Patterns:
Download and print the patterns (number of copies of each shape needed is indicated on each pattern). Cut out the shapes.
Using tape, piece together the larger pattern following the instructions. When pieced together, the pattern will look like a rectangle with a triangle on each end.
Piece and tape together the octagon pattern.
Layer the burlap over the bed sheet. Pin the pattern into place and cut around the pattern; repeat until you have eight sets. (You will have eight pieces of burlap and eight pieces of bed sheet total.)
Using the endcap pattern, cut the octagon pieces for the top and bottom of the pouf. For each piece, fold a piece of burlap in half, pin the long edge of the endcap pattern along the fold, and cut out. Repeat to make the second octagon piece.
Layer one bed-sheet piece on the bottom, two pieces of burlap in the middle, and one piece of sheet on top. Pin the layers together along one side. Repeat to create three more layered sets.
Using a straight stitch and a 1/2-inch seam allowance, sew along pinned side of the layered set, removing pins as you sew, to create pairs of panels.
Open up each pair in the middle. Press the seams of each pair open on the sheet side so that a strip of the burlap (made from the seam allowance) lays flat on either side of the seam.
Lay one joined pairs on top of another with right sides together (burlap to burlap) and pin. Sew along one edge, unpin, and press open. Repeat with the other two layered sets.
At this point, you will have two pouf halves. Turn one half right side out and the other inside out.
Nest one half inside the other with right sides together; pin around the outside edges. On one end of the pouf where the seams meet, make marks 5-inch on both sides from the center, leaving a 10-inch gap.
From one 5-inch mark, stitch around the outside edge of the pouf, stopping at the 5-inch mark on the other side, leaving a 10-inch opening for stuffing the pouf. Reinforce the opening by sewing across the seam allowance at a right angle to the seam at the 5-inch marks.
Turn the pouf right side out with the opening at the top. Sort your fabric pieces and scraps into heavy, light, and small piles. Start stuffing the pouf with the largest/heaviest pieces of fabric at the bottom center of the pouf. Heavy fabrics, such as denim, should be stuffed in as neatly as possible to avoid creating large gaps in the stuffing.
Once the pouf is filled about halfway, use softer and smaller pieces to stuff along the sides. A wooden spoon may be helpful to stuff pieces in place.
Continue filling with heaviest fabrics in the center and lighter/smaller pieces around the edges. The bottom of the pouf and the center should be stuffed with the heaviest fabrics to ensure good support. The lighter fabrics should go on the outside to give the finished pouf a smooth look.
When the pouf is about two-thirds stuffed, use fiberfill along the sides to fill in bumps and smooth the shape. The top of the pouf should have a good layer of fiberfill so the seat is comfortable. The tighter the pouf is stuffed, the better it will hold its shape.
Editor's Tip: Fiber fill can be pricey. Using a combination of fiber fill and fabric scraps helps reduce the cost of your pouf. The sturdier fabric scraps also give the pouf stability, which fiber fill alone could not do.
Once you are satisfied with the amount of stuffing, use upholstery thread and a needle to hand-sew the seam together. The octagon piece will cover the seam, so don¿t worry too much about neatness.
Using fusible-web tape to secure the fold and following manufacturer's instructions, press in the edges 1/2 inch on all sides of the two octagon-shape burlap pieces.
Line up the eight corners of the octagon piece with the eight seams on the top of the pouf as closely as possible. Insert pins straight down at the seams to make adjusting the alignment of the octagon easier.
Using a basting stitch 1-inch inside the edges of the octagon, baste one octagon to the top of the pouf.
Repeat on the bottom of the pouf with the other octagon piece.
Following our stitching diagram, sew the decorative finish along the seams of your pouf. Although the stitch is simple, try practicing on a scrap of cloth to get comfortable with the rhythm of the stitch and perfect your technique.
Starting at the octagon, use the decorative stitch along all seams of the pouf. Separate six-ply embroidery floss into two-ply pieces and work with 18 inches of floss or less at one time. At the top of one seam, push up through the fabric at the edge of the octagon shape about 1/2 inch from the vertical seam. Move your needle down 1/2 inch and over the other side of the seam. Push the needle into the fabric about 1/4-inch from the seam and up another 1/4 inch to the right. Wrap the thread under the needle.
Draw the thread out over the loop made with the last stitch.
Gently pull the thread tight to the right of the stitch.
Gently pull the thread tight at an angle across to the left side of the seam. Start your next stitch on the left 1/2 inch lower than the stitch on the right and about 1 inch below the stitch directly above it on the same side.
Push the needle down through the fabric on the left side 1/4 inch from the seam and up 1/2 inch from the seam with the thread under the needle. (See diagram.) Draw the thread out over the loop and gently pull it tight to the left. Cross over to the right side again and continue down the seam. Repeat the chain of stitches on each seam.
Once all of the sides are stitched, use the same decorative stitch around the edge of the top and bottom octagons.
When all sides of each octagon are complete, remove the basting stitches from top and bottom pieces to finish. Place your new pouf next to a chair in your living room where it can add a bit of color or stand in as an ottoman. If you're ambitious, make a pair of poufs and tuck them under a console table or on either side of the fireplace until you need extra seating.
