How to Make a Soccer Bean Bag Chair

It is easy to make your own bean bag chair.

Bean bag chairs are great for children or adults when they want to lounge around watching TV, reading a book or playing video games. You can purchase a bean bag chair in the store–but it's cheaper to make one yourself. Soccer ball bean bag chairs look like a giant soccer ball, because of their round shapes.

Things You'll Need

• 5 yards of 48 inch soccer pattern fabric
• 5 yards muslin fabric
• 22 inch zipper
• 6 cubic feet of filler, such as packing peanuts or pellets
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

Making the Pattern

1. Create a side pattern piece that is pointed at the top and the bottom, arcing in the middle. It should be 41-1/2 inches long and 21 inches wide at its widest point. This pattern is sized for an adult.

2. Create a top pattern by folding a piece of paper in half and placing your ruler on the fold. Draw an arc that is 5-1/2 inches from the fold.

3. Create a bottom pattern piece by folding a piece of paper in half and drawing an arc that's 12 inches from the fold. Cut out the circle, then fold it in half. Unfold the circle and draw a line 1/2 inch from the fold line. Cut along the line and throw out the smaller section. The larger piece is your pattern piece for the bottom.

Making the Bean Bag

1. Cut out six pieces of fabric using the side pattern pieces from the soccer fabric and six pieces from the muslin or lining fabric.

2. Cut out one of each fabric following the top pattern.

3. Cut out two of each fabric following the bottom pattern.

4. Pin the bottom pieces together, making sure that the right sides are together.

5. Sew the bottom pieces together along the straight edge, ironing the seam open when finished.

6. Lay the zipper right side down along the back of the bottom piece, along the seam you just sewed.

7. Sew the zipper down using a zipper foot on your sewing machine.

8. Sew the side pieces together along the long sides. Be sure to do it on both the soccer fabric and the lining fabric.

9. Top stitch on the right side of the fabric 3/8 of an inch from the seams.

10. Stay stitch around the top of the bag on the side pieces 1/2 inch from the edge. Clip the seam allowances so that it will lay flat later on.

11. Pin the top to the bag with the right sides together and sew it together with 1/2 inch seams.

12. Sew the bottom of the bag the same way you sewed the top onto the bag.

13. Repeat the above steps with the lining fabric.

14. Turn the bag the right side out, using the zipper opening.

15. Put the lining into the bag and fill the lining with the packing peanuts or pellets.

References

• sewing.org: Make a Bean Bag Chair

Resources

• guardian.co.uk: Bean Bag Chair