Child's Beanbag Pattern

I was dashing through Lincraft a couple of months before Christmas last year when some fabric caught my eye that I thought would make great beanbags for our four oldest grandchildren.  When I couldn't find a pattern to follow I drew one up that, (surprisingly, but one of those really nice surprises! :) worked really well.  I wanted to make the old-style tear-drop bean-bag shape that mimics a chair when you sit on it - and not the plain square or round cushions.  (You can see how to make a square bean-bag cushion here.)  On Christmas day each child received their beanbag and they spent the rest of the afternoon jumping around on them - they loved them!.  I already have orders for two more for next Christmas :)

I'ts not hard to sew a beanbag - pretty basic sewing really, so even if you don't have much experience I think you will be ok with this:

Materials

• You'll need about 3 meters of some medium to heavier-weight fabric for each outer cover.                                 - (Six panels x 40cm x 91cm, plus a 51cm square piece for the bottom circle.  I originally bought two and a half metres (of 120 or 135cm wide), for each beanbag, and had to go back for more fabric.  Three metres of fabric should be just right.) 
• You'll also need 3 metres of a strong lining fabric for each inner beanbag.  (I used an inexpensive poly-cotton.)
• Sewing cotton to match your outer cover, (since you will be top-stitching and it will be obvious)
• A medium to heavy-weight zip (continuous zip is easy)
• Polystyrene beanbag pellets.  (I used about 115 litres for each bag)
• Some tissue paper or similar, to draw up your pattern.  (I used cheap $1 tissue paper I had at home.  It doesn't matter what paper you use.)

Directions

• Draw up your pattern, using the guide below (Diagram 1).  You can call this Pattern Piece 1.  (I drew this up free-hand.  You should be able to copy it successfully by following the diagram I think.  The pattern already incorporates a 1.5cm hem allowance.  If you click on the image it will enlarge.)

Diagram 1

• Next, draw up a pattern for your bottom circle piece, by folding a piece of tissue paper in half, and marking 25.5cm from a middle point, in an arc to form a half circle.  Open the tissue out, mark the centre line of the half-circle, then add a 1.5cm seam allowance just along the centre seam (the outside of the half-circle already has a 1.5cm seam allowance).  Cut out and call this Pattern Piece 2.
• Cut 6 beanbag panels from outer fabric, of Pattern Piece 1.  (That you can see above, in Diagram 1.)
• Also cut 6 beanbag panels from lining fabric, of Pattern Piece 1.  (I ironed, then layered and pinned the six panels to cut them all out together - as you can see above, to save time.)
• Cut 1 Pattern Piece 2 of the outer fabric, on the fold, then separate, to give you two identical pieces.
• Cut 1 Pattern Piece 2 of inner lining fabric, on the fold, then separate the pieces.

• Sew all of the side panels together at the long sides, then top-stitch each seam as you go for added strength, catching in the hem underneath.  When all of your side panels are assembled, the tip of the beanbag should look something like this:  (If your seam lines don't all meet perfectly in the middle, you can hand-sew a few stitches to bring the seams together to a neat point, and strengthen the junction.)

• Join the two side pieces of outer fabric Pattern Piece 2 with your zip.  You can see how to sew in the zip here.)
• Ease-stitch 1cm in from the outside of the circle made by your two joined pieces of Pattern Piece 2, then pin and stitch this bottom circle to the joined top side panels.  Topstitch this seam and clip the curve as needed.  You now have your outer bag all finished :)

(This is the bottom of your beanbag.  It's actually worked well that I used a match-in fabric for the this piece because you can see it better!)

• Basically, follow these same directions to sew up the inner lining pieces too.  The only difference will be that you will not sew in a zip.  Instead, sew the two halves together but leave a 25cm opening (through which to fill with beans).
• Put the lining bag inside your outer bag before you fill the bag with beans.  (I found this out by not doing so, and having an unnecessarily hilarious time trying to get the fat, filled little beanbag through the too-small zip opening of the outer bag.  Possible but difficult.  I possibly ought to have made the bottom circle piece a little larger, but in every other way it worked well so I thought...  nope :)
• Fill the inner bag with beans.   (I won't try to direct how you accomplish this.  With lots of laughter, a second pair of hands to help, frequent looks of astonishment that indicate your bemusement that such little beans can be so very lively, and, one hopes, a good vacuum to finish, is my guess.  If you do manage to fill your bags with none of these, please don't feel you need to tell me about it..  Actually, no - I'd be fascinated to hear how you did it  :)

• When the inner bag is filled, fold the open seams over onto themselves at least twice before pinning, then hand-sew the seam closed.  You will notice that I have used an easy-to-see thread to do this, and I actually have a reason for this other than that I was too lazy to get a matching thread: every now and again you may decide that it's time to add some more beans, because your beanbag has become a bit flat.  The bright cotton makes it easy to unpick the thread :)

Voila!!  Not too hard, no?

(If you do use this pattern, I would love to hear how it went for you and would love it if you left some feedback please :)

PS - Click here if you would like to see how I used the fabric scraps to make a child's bag.