I purchased some material recently – floral fat quarter bundles – pinks and greens to make a patchwork pouf for my daughter. It was to be my rainy day project over the mid-term break. It took me under a day to make and wasn’t that difficult. The time flew and while I had my sewing machine out I got talked into making some clothes for our resident fairy, that also entailed making a miniature washing line for outside her house. That should earn me brownie points with my daughter for at least a couple of days…
Materials: Sewing machine, 54 patchwork squares, coordinating thread, coordinating zip, pins.
Step one: Decide on pattern for squares. Each sheet of material is different so you can make whatever pattern you want for each side of the pouf. Our pouf is going to be a cube so it will have six sides with nine patches per square on each side.
Step two: once you’ve decided on the design, sew your patches together until you have six large squares. I like to serge these squares as they can be washed without the edges fraying. If you don’t have a serger sewing machine you can use the zig zag stitch on your regular machine.
Step three: In order to make the cube shape line out the six squares in the shape of a long cross on its side. Four squares for the body and two for the top and bottom.
Step four: The bottom square and body will have the zipper between them. Pin the zip face down on the right side of the square along the top edge and sew send to end. Pin the other side of the zipper along the bottom edge of the square zipper teeth facing the right side of the material and sew end to end.
Using a zipper foot on your machine makes it easier to get passes the zip fastener.
Step five: Now that the bottom square and one of the body sides is done you can sew the rest of the squares to made up the body. You should have four squares in one long piece with one bottom square attached to square three of the body portion. Go ahead and sew square one and four to close off the body so it resembles a cube shape. Leave a half inch gap at either end to accommodate the bottom and top squares.
Step six: Turn the cube inside out and pin the bottom square to the three edges left of the body. Sew around the edges leaving a half inch seam allowance taking care sewing around the corners.
Step seven: Pin the top square to each of the for body edges. The half inch gaps makes it easier to accommodate the corners. Sew the whole way around taking care at the corners. Unzip and turn out the right way.
Step eight: Fill with wadding so its nice and firm and makes a nice cube shape and zip closed.
Voila, a patchwork pouf. I’ve put mine in my daughter’s bedroom next to her book shelf in the hope that it will encourage her to read but you can put them anywhere around the house. They make a love addition to a sitting room if it matches in with the décor. Bold colours on accessories can accentuate a rather bland room and can be changed to suit the season. Its much cheaper than changing out your furniture!
Happy sewing. Let me know if you have any projects you’re saving for your rainy day.
Mom in a whirlwind... 