22. Tablecloth Pouffe

Remember the tablecloth I found at a thrift store a while back? Last night I transformed it into this pouffe. It looks more complicated than it is - the sewing part is all straight lines and the tufting/button is really simple as long as you have the right tools.  When I was growing up we had a pouffe made out of multi coloured wedges of vinyl. It's still at my mums place now - it's a favourite with the grand kids for watching TV or sitting down for a snack. Only we didn't call it a pouffe. In my family it's known as "The Humpty" and no-one knows why!
Whatever you want to call them, these nifty little pieces of furniture are making a big comeback. They're perfect for propping up tired feet or for a little person to sit on to watch movies. With winter closing in around us now is the perfect time to spend an afternoon in front of the sewing machine making this very satisfying little number.

Cost: Under $30
Time: An afternoon

Materials:


1 large vintage tablecloth in linen or other thick and durable fabric. Mine was 1.25m square and I fit all of my pieces in with some left over.

500g hobby fill stuffing - $7

2 large buttons $4

1 long upholstery or mattress repair needle $3

2 metal washers, slightly smaller than the buttons .50c

Upholstery thread or fishing line $3

Normal thread, sewing machine, scissors, pins

Here we go...

The first step is resizing and printing your template for the wedges that make up the pouffe. I followed the tutorial on Design Sponge where there is a PDF template. I inserted the image into Word and re sized it before printing it.

Cut out 24 wedges out of your fabric.  Design Sponge recommends cutting 24 wedges out of muslin and sandwiching them onto the back of the fabric to prevent stretching. I didn't bother as I felt that my fabric was durable enough but it is worth considering if you have a lighter fabric.

Once you have your 24 wedges lay them out in two circles of 12 wedges each and have a play with placement and design.

There is an excellent series of images and instructions on how to make the pouffe on the Design Sponge Tutorial.  I doubt I could explain it any better so I won't repeat them all here.

Sewing the wedges together was a bit monotonous for a "make it up as you go along" person like me, but I just love the end result.  Slightly bigger pouffes would look fantastic in an outdoor living area as outside cushions.  I can also see them looking great in a kids room made of bright fabrics with big plastic buttons.

Have fun everyone and enjoy the coming weekend!