pouf tutorial! the West Elm pouf hack

West Elm has tempted me on more than one occasion, first it was their papier mache wildebeest heads… now, it’s their floor poufs. Unfortunately, their prices are devastating – $249 for the patterned poufs or $219 for the striped pouf.  Sorry, I just can’t justify spending that much on a floor pillow.  Once I realized the price, I let myself feel about 45 seconds of sadness for not being able to afford such a luxurious floor pillow.  Then, my DIY superpowers kicked in and I decided I could make it myself! How hard could it be? Fabric? Stuffing? Sewing in a straight line?  Easy!

Let’s take a minute and longingly gaze at these West Elm beauties…

I’ll take all of them!  A friend of mine also had the same idea, so we decided to work together and make a variety of poufs!  Let’s take a peek!

#1) the West Elm Hack

#2) The tribal – a round pouf

#3) the gold crocodile – a round pouf

I think I’m addicted to floor pillows.  I made four over the weekend, and two more are in the queue. My friend and I were totally inspired by tribal prints, so much so that we almost went out shopping for ponchos! Instead, we found some crazy tribal drapery fabric at Home Fabrics & Rugs.  Now for the exciting part…

DIY Round Pouf Tutorial

Follow these 14 easy steps…..

Step 1) lay your fabric on a flat surface, wrong sides out

Step 2) pin your pattern on the fabric

Step 3) cut along the pattern

Step 4) repeat steps 1-3 three more times, for a total of four double sided forms

Step 5) sew the right side of each form (repeat for the remaining 3 forms), then remove the pins

Step 6) lay the first form on top of the second, wrong sides out, and pin along the right side

Step 7) take the third form and lay on top of the first form, wrong sides out,and pin along the right side.  Repeat with the remaining form so all pieces are pinned together and form a round shell.  Next, sew the pinned sides together, but be sure to stop 2 inches short of the edge to create an opening for you to fill with stuffing.

Step 8) the round shell will take shape once all pieces are sewn together, be certain you’ve removed all pins before proceeding

Step 9) turn the shell inside out

Step 10) gather your stuffing – I used a variety of leftover foam I had on hand which I cut in oval and circular shapes to fill the center of the pouf.  I also used stuffing from old pillows, and bought a bag of polyfill from the local fabric store.  Poly-fill is expensive, so I recommend using anything you have on hand to fill the pouf.  You want the center to be dense, and the surrounding area to be soft and fluffy, which is why I stuffed it with leftover foam.

Step 11) First, stuff about 1/3 of the bottom with poly-fill or cotton

Step 12) Then, lay the foam in place.  Last, fill and surround the foam with the rest of the cotton or poly-fill.

Step 13) Be careful not to over stuff.  You want the pouf to be full, yet fluffy.  I used about 2 standard pillow’s worth of cotton and poly-fill

Step 14) sew the top and bottom holes shut with a needle and thread

And there you go! Your very own pouf!

I’m sure you’re wondering what pattern I used… well, I used part of BHG’s pouf pattern.  I’m not a fan of the octagon BHG uses in their tutorial, so I threw that piece away.  Also, I think the stitching on the side is a little tacky, so I skipped that step.  Lastly, I did not sew a liner into my pouf because the fabric I chose is super thick.  I pretty much only used pages 5-7, and read over the instructions to get a feel of the process.

I strongly recommend finding a drapery fabric or outdoor fabric, something sturdy.  A thick and durable fabric will help maintain the shape of the pouf, prevent rips or tears, and have a longer life, versus a thin cotton fabric.

Let’s recap, I made two tribal poufs, a black and gold crocodile print pouf, and a West Elm pouf. Don’t you love them?

** UPDATE ** Check out my shop to see what poufs are available!

Thank you!