How to Make a Bean Bag

Co-authored by Lois Wade

Last Updated: January 30, 2023 References

Making a beanbag, either just for tossing around with your friend or as a super comfy chair, is a simple DIY project for anyone to complete with the right materials! The amount of fabric and beans you'll need to make your bag will depend on how big you want it, but the same basic methods for creating one can be used no matter the size. Once you gather your materials and decide on your beanbag project, you can get started designing and crafting!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Creating a Beanbag

1
Pick out your materials. You will need a large amount of fabric, at least 25 X 25 inches, in order to make multiple beanbags. The fabric is usually a cotton polyester blend and can be found either prepackaged or on the bar at your local arts and crafts store. You can buy material that serves as both the front and back of the bean bag, or purchase different fabrics for the front and back. > You will also need:
- Sewing machine
- Sewing thread which matches your design
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors and/or rotary blade
- Dried beans, corn, peas, beads, or pebbles found in bags at your local grocery store.
2
Cut your fabric to the appropriate size. For each bean bag you will need two pieces of fabric, each 5 X 5 inches. It is best to measure the distance with a ruler, making marks with your pencil. Then cut both squares out with a pair of scissors or a rotary blade.^{[1]
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- If you use a rotary blade, make sure you are cutting on a safe surface like a cutting board.
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3
Iron your fabric (optional). If you wish to iron the fabric so that it is not wrinkled, place a tea towel overtop each piece of fabric. Plug in your iron, wait for it to heat up, and press gently against the tea towel. Do not let the iron sit on the towel too long. Keep it moving.
- Make sure you are ironing on a safe surface such as an ironing board. Keep the iron away from children.
4
Arrange your fabric. Take one of your pieces of fabric and lay it face up (design up). Then take your other piece of fabric and lay it face down, overtop of the other piece. Make sure the edges are flush with one another. You should not be able to see any of the front design of your fabric.^{[4]
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5
Stitch your fabric together. First, take a few sewing pins and stick them through the two pieces of fabric. This will hold them together as you are sewing them. Next, place one of the edges underneath the sewing needle of your sewing machine. You will want to sew a 1/2 inch inseam around the edges of your pieces of fabric.^{[6]
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- As you are sewing around the edge, hold the pieces of fabric tightly together with your hands. However, make sure to keep your fingers away from the needle.
- When you get to the corners you can either reposition your fabric 90 degrees and begin stitching again, or make a diagonal stitch before you begin stitching the next side.
- Stitch all the way around until you are about 3 inches away from where you started. Stop there, as you will use this "pocket" in later steps.
6
Invert your fabric and fill it up. Take your thumb and pointer finger and place them inside the opening you left. Grab the farthest inside edge and pull the fabric through the hole. After you have gotten most of the fabric out of the hole, you can go back in with your fingers to poke the corners so that they are sharp and crisp.^{[9]
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- Slowly pour in either dried beans, corn, or peas. You can tilt the bag, grab some with your hands, or pour them through the funnel.
- You do not want to pack them tight. The beanbags are meant to be grabbed and handled, so it still needs to be slightly loose. Try to leave at least a 1/2 inch of fabric empty on the inside.
7
Stitch the pocket together. Take the two loose edges of fabric and place them back underneath your sewing needle. Stitch a 1/2 inch inseam onto the opened pocket. You now have a completed beanbag. Repeat the previous steps until you have the correct amount of beanbags you need.^{[12]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making a Beanbag Chair

1
Determine the diameter of your chair. This is totally up to you as to how wide you want your chair to be. Some people like beanbag chairs which are about the size of a normal chair. Others like the chair to be almost oversized, so that they can rest their arms on the excess fabric. The average width of an average beanbag chair is around 32 inches wide.^{[14]
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- 42 inches wide will get you a large beanbag chair, while 56-70 inches will produce an extra large beanbag chair.
- You may want to visit stores which sell beanbag chairs to measure each size of beanbag chair and see how they feel. Because this project is relatively easy, you can afford to make a mistake, and restart with a different size.
2
Pick out a fabric. The best thing to buy is a cotton-polyester blended fabric in your local arts and crafts store. Beanbag chairs that are available in stores are usually made with specially designed, elastic fabric which is not easily available. You can of course choose from any design they have available, such as solid colors, polka dots, stripes, animal prints, etc.^{[16]
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3
Determine the size of your piece of fabric. All you have to do is add 4 inches to the total width of your chair. For example, let's assume that your diameter length will be 60 inches long. Add 4 inches to this length and you get 64 inches. Therefore, you will need to purchase either two separate pieces of fabric, each 64X64 inches, or one continuous piece of fabric that is 64X128 inches.^{[17]
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- You need two pieces of fabric to form the top and bottom of your chair. Don't worry if you buy one continuous piece of fabric. All you have to do is cut it in half using scissors when you get it home so that you have two even squares.
- If the fabric is available directly off the bar, you can get it cut exactly the size you need. If however it is only available prepackaged, make sure you buy a piece of fabric that is larger than what you will need.
4
Cut out circles on your fabric. If you have bought one large piece of fabric, now is the time to cut the piece in half so that you have two equal squares. You will then flip both pieces of fabric over on a safe, flat surface so that the design is facing down. Draw a circle on each piece of fabric. Both circles should have the same diameter. The diameter of your circles should be the desired width of your chair (as decided on earlier).^{[19]
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- If you need help drawing circles, please visit: How to Draw a Circle.
- Once you have made a circle on each piece of fabric, cut them out with a pair of scissors.
5
Sew together your two circles. Place one circle face up on a flat surface. Place the other circle directly on top of the other circle, face down. Make sure to get the circles as closely matched up as possible. Take out your sewing machine. Place the edge of the two circles underneath the threaded needle.^{[20]
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- You will first make a 1/2 inch inseam around to stitch your circles together. Leave a hole at the end so that you can get your hand in between the circles. You will then go back in the opposite direction, this time sewing a 3/4 inch inseam. Once more, do not sew over the hole you will need to put your hand through.
- After you have stitched your circles together, remove them safely from the sewing machine. Take a pair of scissors and trim off the excess fabric, about 1/4 inch close to the 1/2 inch inseam.
6
Finish off your beanbag chair. First, put your hand through the hole you did not stitch. Reach all the way through and grab the seam on the other side. Pull the fabric through the hole flipping it inside-out (design should now be on the outside). Poke your hand back through the hole to push against the seams, and make sure the fabric is poked all the way out.^{[22]
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- Fill your beanbag chair with whatever you like. You can use standard stuffing material. You can use real beans,or plastic chips. Polyester pellets are also a very popular item to use. All of these can be found at your local arts and crafts store.
- Finally, sew the hole by hand. You will need a small, sharp needle and some embroidery floss which matches your other thread. For more information about how to stitch, visit: How to Sew

Community Q&A

Question

How tall will my bean bag be?

Community Answer

It depends on the size of your bean bag and how much you fill it up. Less filling might make shorter, while more filling may make it taller. But keep in mind that when you use the filling, you might need to fill it up again with new beans to fluff it back up.
Question

What should be used to fill the inside?

Community Answer

You can get bean bag fillings in some stores, and online, which are really good to use. Otherwise, chickpeas, beans, and toy stuffing are all good choices.
Question

Could I use a very large shirt to make a beanbag?

Community Answer

You could, but you'd likely find that it's too small, even with the largest of shirts.