How to Make a Bear Bean Bag Chair
A bear beanbag chair is a cute addition to your child's room. It is a wonderful place to lounge while reading a book or playing video games. Your child will also treat this bear beanbag chair as a friend, so don't be surprised if you see your child sitting beside the chair while having a conversation with it. This project uses easy lines and sews up very quickly. The pattern is simple enough for a sewing novice, with the structure of a beanbag chair being very forgiving.
Things You'll Need
- Wrapping paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- 2 yards brown corduroy fabric, 60 inches wide
- Flat bed sheet
- Black felt craft square
- Sewing machine
- Saucer
- Iron
- 1/2 inch wide Velcro, 1 yard
- Styrofoam beanbag pellets
Instructions
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1
Measure and trace a rectangle on wrapping paper, 24 inches wide by 30 inches long. Cut the rectangle out. Fold the length in half and crease, then fold the width in half and crease. You will now have a folded 12-inch-wide-by-15-inch-long folded rectangle. Lay the folded rectangle with the 15-inch fold on the left and the 12-inch fold on the bottom. Measure up the 15-inch side on the right, and mark 8 inches. Sketch and curve the top of the 15-inch side on the left to the mark on the right in a curve. Cut along the curve through all four layers and unfold. This is the body section pattern of your bear beanbag chair. Cut four of these body sections from the brown corduroy fabric. Cut four body sections from the old sheet to use as the lining of the bear beanbag chair.
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2
Trace a saucer on wrapping paper and cut out. This is your bear's ear pattern. Measure and trace a 4-inch straight edge on the circle. Cut across the straight edge to create the bottom of the ear. Cut four ear sides from the corduroy fabric. Use the end of a spool of thread to trace the circle for the bear's eyes and a half circle for his nose. Cut the patterns out. Use the patterns to cut two bear eyes and one nose from the black felt.
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3
Pin two ear pieces together with their right sides facing. Sew around the ear using a 1/2-inch seam allowance and leaving the straight edge open. Repeat with the other two ear pieces. Turn the ears right side out and press.
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4
Lay one body section on your sewing table with the right side up. Match the straight edge of one ear along one long side, 8 inches from one end. Place another body section on top of the first with the right side down. Match the edges and pin the edge with the ear, sandwiching the ear piece in between. Sew along the pinned edge using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Repeat with the remaining two corduroy body sections and the remaining ear.
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5
Open the sections and place them together with the right sides facing and pin the long edges together. Sew one long edge using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. On the other long side, sew the first 3 inches on each end. Press the remaining portion of the long seam to one side. This will have one long edge folded over 1/2 inch with the other flat over it. This is your back seam and opening on your bear beanbag chair.
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6
Spread the unsewn pressed seam apart. Take the 36-inch Velcro apart. Lay one piece on the seam that is pressed to the back. Pin along the seam, through the folded seam allowance and the front of the body section. Top-stitch the Velcro to the opening on the seam and trim away the excess. Pin the opposite side of the opening seam with the remaining Velcro half. Pin to seam but not through the front of the bear beanbag body. Top-stitch the Velcro and trim away the excess.
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7
Turn the bear beanbag chair right side out. Sew the four sections of the bed sheet lining together in the same way (minus the ear piece instructions). Leave an 8-inch opening in the last seam. Do not add Velcro. Turn the lining right side out. Fill the lining with beanbag chair pellets. Fill as full as you would like, but allow for squishiness. Pin the opening and sew closed on the sewing machine. Place the stuffed lining through the opening of the bear beanbag chair case, and close the case with the Velcro.
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8
Arrange the felt eyes and the nose on the bear beanbag chair and pin, being careful to not pin to the lining. Remove the stuffed lining bag and hand sew or machine stitch the eyes and nose in place on the bear beanbag case. Replace the lining to finish the chair.
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Tips & Warnings
Sew all seams twice to reinforce them.
