The Ultimate Scrapbusting Pouf

This scrappy pouf pattern is a freebie from Closet Case Files, and one of my #makenine projects for 2019. 

This really was an ultimate scrap buster. The grey outer fabric is scrap, sewn with the scrap cording wrapped in scrap bias tape, and it opens with a scrap zipper. Then on the inside, I made a bag from scraps with a scrap drawstring closure. And then of course the entire thing is completely filled with scraps!!!

I cut out all my main pieces in a beautiful grey upholstery fabric left over from my time working at a drapery workroom. For the cording, I chose another workroom scrap, this one with a beautiful pattern of blues greens and purples, so that it would be high contrast. I cut bias strips to cover the cording, and I cut extra strips to go in between all the side panels. I considered putting cording there too, but ended up sticking with just the fabric doubled over so that I didn't have to deal with trimming the cording out of the seam allowance.

The pattern was only 8 pages, and 3 pattern pieces. I ended up completely ignoring the grainline suggestions and cutting out my pieces every which way in order to have enough fabric.

My only issue putting this pouf together was with the seam allowances. The seam allowance is drawn on the pattern pieces at 1/2", but the pattern states that seam allowances are 3/8" unless otherwise noted. And the instructions on the blog sew along also say 3/8". I should have done some math ahead of time, and figured out which seam allowance was correct... but I didn't! 

I was impatient (I started sewing this at my annual sewing retreat and was way too excited about uninterrupted sewing time), and figured I'd go with the smaller seam allowance, and figured as long as I was consistent I'd be fine. Plus, if I needed to go back and sew with the larger seam allowance I would. Ha! Yeah right! 

After piecing all the tops together, and all the side panels, complete with decorative bias strips, I realized that, yes, I was supposed to use the 1/2" seam allowance. Because now, I noticed that my top and bottom pouf pieces were two different sizes. Whoops. 

There was no way I was going to actually resew the top and sides to make them match the bottom. So I needed to find a way to make the bottom bigger, to match. The easy solution would have been to recut the bottom, but I didn't have enough fabric left to do that. Plus, I had a very satisfyingly sewn zipper that I didn't want to mess with. I also could have just used different fabric to recut the pieces. Sadly, this did not actually occur to me until later. Oh well! I came up with a more creative solution.

I ended up using the rest of the scraps to piece together a sort of applique design that I topstitched around the edge of the bottom section. I actually really like the way it turned out! Makes me almost sad that no one is gonna see it. 

I also made a separate bag to hold the scraps inside the bag so that I can take the cover off and wash it when Finn inevitably gets some sort of bodily fluid on it. I made the bag out of an old curtain sheer, with a circular base just larger than the pouf, and "sides" that were about 24" tall, with a drawstring closure at the top. I have a few scraps, inside the bag, but since I don't have enough to completely stuff it yet, I've put my extra polyfill in too. The plan is to slowly switch from stuffing to fabric as I complete projects.

Here is what it looks like all finished and stuffed! I think I'm going to go back in with an actual cording foot to get a closer stitch around the top and bottom to eliminate the waviness of the cording. But until I get my cording foot, it's done!

 I love it! A little typo with the seam allowance, but also, it is a free pattern, so I really can't complain. Especially when I could have thought it through and avoided the mistake. Overall it was a quick easy sew, and I love the idea of it being super scrap busting in every way possible! It is also the perfect for my sewing room, because it currently doubles as a nursery. This way I can store fabric scraps and have a great footrest for the rocking chair at the same time. Finn seems to approve. If you want to make your own floor pouf, head over to Closet Case Files to get the free pattern!