How I Make a Pouffe and Slipcover It

I am not a quilter, but I save nearly all of my fabric scraps. When they begin to overwhelm my space, I know it’s time to make a pouffe.

I use a simple pattern for my pouffes, and I make them all the same basic size. I usually make them in denim, cotton duck, or a heavier upholstery fabric I might have leftover. I also construct one or more slipcovers which coordinate with the other fabrics in the room they are destined for. The slipcovers keep things flexible, since we frequently tweak our décor. It is also much easier to store a slipcover than to store a fully stuffed pouffe. Making a pouffe will take an hour or two; a slipcover will take even less time to construct. The toughest part may be deciding which fabric to use!

Here’s what I use to construct a simple pouffe and slipcover: 

• A yard or so of 60” cotton duck or denim (or any heavier fabric to make the basic pouffe)
• A yard or so of decorative fabric for the slipcover
• Small piece of foam, 16” square or larger, and 1”-2” thick
• Fabric scraps or other stuffing
• Zipper – 16” or longer, concealed or conventional
• Sewing machine and appropriate zipper foot
• Sewing scissors
• Rotary cutter and mat (optional)
• Matching thread
• Pins
• Tape measure or ruler
• Pencil
• Paper to develop a pattern (newsprint is fine, so is the tissue paper stores wrap your purchases in)
• Serger (optional)
• Electric knife or carving knife (optional)
• Upholstery or quilt batting, or an old mattress pad (optional)
• Welting cord (optional) or premade decorative piping or trim (optional)

My simple pouffes are always 15.5” in diameter, and anywhere from 12” to 16” in height. I use just two pattern pieces. The first is a semicircle for the top, which I cut on a fold. The semicircle has a 16.5” diameter to accommodate ½” seams. I adapted my pattern from an old McCall’s pattern (M7174, no longer in print) for a circular pillow. Another method would be to trace around a vinyl record, dinner plate, or other large circular item, and then use a ruler to carefully and consistently extend the diameter to the necessary size. I keep a file folder of standard circle patterns, marking the diameter on each. Some of these circles were developed with an old vinyl record, others using dishes or tin cans.

The other pattern piece is for the sides. Since my pouffe will be 15.5” in diameter, the circumference will be about 48.5”. For my pouffes, I have created a pattern piece that represents half of the side, 24.25”, plus seam allowances (½” on each side). I have marked the pattern so that if my fabric has enough width to permit me to cut on a fold, I will only need a seam allowance on the cut side. For the length, I have added marks at the 12”, 14”, 16” and 18” lengths, accommodating a ½” seam allowance at the top and bottom. I’ve also added marks about an inch or so below each of these so I can use the same piece to cut a slipcover, which will have a hemmed bottom. The piece of paper for this piece is so large that it is easier than it might sound to accommodate all these marks clearly.

I am using a piece of 60” cotton duck (which was just $2 at Goodwill), so the side piece can be cut on the fold, requiring just one seam.

At my sewing machine, I will attach the zipper to the two 17”x10” pieces following the zipper package instructions. I need to make sure that my pieces are aligned at the top and bottom, and that my zipper is centered on the seam. 

After the zipper is inserted, I will fold the finished piece in half along the zipper seam. Using my semicircle pattern piece, with the fold line along the zipper seam, I cut the circle for the bottom.

I have a serger, so my next step is to serge the edges of all my cut pieces. The edges could also be finished with a zig zag stich or pinking shears. Then I will mark the top piece with small cuts at the top and bottom of the circle, and the two sides at the halfway point, following the grain of the fabric. I similarly mark the bottom piece at the two sides, by folding the piece in half matching the seams together. I mark the side piece by first folding it in half along the seam to mark the mid-point (or top of my circle), and then matching the mid-point and seam to get my other two halfway marks (or sides of my circle).

Matching right sides together, I pin the side piece to my bottom circle – with the zipper closed as far as possible without extending past the seam, so my bottom piece retains its circular shape – and matching my marks. I sew the seam, being careful if I need to sew over the zipper so I don’t break my needle.

I then open the zipper and pin the top piece to the sides with right sides together. After I sew the top seam, I can turn the pouffe shell to the right side.

Before I stuff the pouffe, I am going to prepare my piece of foam to give my pouffe a nice level top. Using a sharpie, I mark a circle on the foam which is an inch less in diameter than my original cut fabric pieces were (since I make so many pouffes, I’ve prepared a pattern piece in this size). Depending on the thickness of the foam, I will cut it with scissors or an electric knife.

To protect my foam and fabric, I will glue or sew batting or a piece of an old mattress pad to one side of the foam. Here I have pieced some batting scraps together to cover my foam; I will trim them when the glue has cured.

To stuff the pouffe, I turn it so the open zipper side is at the top, and insert the foam circle, batting side towards the top of the pouffe. To give the pouffe a little more structure, I have decided to repurpose some old stiff upholstery fabric from a Target ottoman I reupholstered several years ago to wrap the sides. I could also use my side pattern piece to cut some batting or an old mattress pad to size and insert that into the pouffe (once I used an old ironing board cover for this step).

Now I stuff the pouffe using my old fabric scraps, smoothing out lumps as I go. Just about anything from purchased fiber fill or foam beads to cut up old clothes and rags can also be used; just make sure the fill is clean and odor-free, and remove any zippers, buttons, or rivets which might produce hard lumps.

Once the pouffe is filled, I simply zip it closed, and turn it over. My pouffe, pictured here, needs a little more stuffing and a few swipes of the lint roller, before I cover it with its new slipcover.

Making slipcovers is a great way to dress up a pouffe. A slipcover will only require a top piece and side piece(s), cut an inch or two longer than the sides of the pouffe itself. Welting or trim around the top piece can make the slipcover even more distinctive, and help it keep its shape. I use the same pattern pieces I created for the basic pouffe, and usually cut bias tape from the leftover fabric to add some welting around the top. I have found that a yard of upholstery fabric is more than enough for a slipcover with welting cord to fit these simple pouffes.

For this slipcover, I am using a bold upholstery sample for the top (Lacefield Designs’ Brushstrokes Nile Sutton), and some simple blue ticking (an old lumbar pillow cover) for the sides. Since I don’t have enough fabric matching either of these to sew welting, I am using some leftover trim from the curtains in this room. Any fancy cord, homemade welting, or other trim could be used, as long as it has a flange which can be sewn into the seam. Trim without a flange could be applied to the finished slipcover with some careful hand sewing. I cut my fabric with my two pattern pieces, serge all the edges, and mark them as I did for the pouffe.

I will sew the welting, piping, or trim around the circumference of the top, on the right side, maintaining a ½” seam allowance, and overlapping where the ends meet. For a neater junction when applying welting, each end of the welting could be opened at the meeting point, the cord ends carefully cut to meet, and the fabric casing ends sewn together for an invisible join. However, I rarely have the patience to do this when I am applying welting.

I sew the side seam(s). I then pin the side piece to the top, right sides together and matching all of my marks, and sew the two pieces together. After turning the piece out to the right side, and placing it over my pouffe, I double check all my sewing, making sure there are no puckers or trim caught in a seam.

Once I am happy with the look of the slipcover, I mark and pin the hem, and return to the sewing machine for a final bit of sewing. Then I’m done!

I may add some trim or fringe to the bottom of this slipcover, to dress it up just a bit more, but I haven’t made up my mind on that yet.