The Easiest DIY Bean Bag Chair Tutorial - Hungarican Journey

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The most wanted convertible DIY bean bag chair tutorial.

Making your own giant bean bag is a super budget-friendly option. New, store-bought puffy chairs can cost you a lot of money, and by making one from upcycled fleece blankets or your favorite fabric can save you a lot of money and would match with your home decor.

So it was clear to me after watching a YouTube video selling a full-size Convertible Bean Bag Chair for a lot of money that I will make my own.

I hope by reading this tutorial; you will make an all in one bean bag bed too. You’ll see how to design a bean bag chair pattern, and you can easily DIY a giant bean bag lounger for your kids and friends.

Isn’t that great for sleepovers or unexpected visitors?

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After watching the youtube video, I fall in love with the idea of having a cozy bean bag that converts to a full-size bed.

I wanted one soooo bad. As usual, I started my research right away. I quickly found it on Amazon, but they are around $250-$300 minimum. My excitement evaporated quickly.

I have to tell you I was disappointed like a little kid when he doesn’t get the toy he really wanted.

So, I spent the next couple of days walking around the house to see what I can re-purpose and how I’m going to be able to DIY this most wanted bean bag on a dime.

What I found and upcycled

Two old full-size flat sheets for the inner cushion.
Two old, but very soft twin size fleece blankets.

What I bough to DIY my unique bean bag chair

8 bags of bean bag filler (100 liters each). Price is changing all the time, so make sure about it before you buy it.
Durable fabric for the bottom of the bean bag cover.
Zipper $10

Well, the total cost was still around $100 because of the fillers. You need a lot of bean bag filler for a full-size bed. I was not so happy with my spendings, but at the end of the day, I was still able to say I saved at least $150.

The good news is you don’t have to make it that big. I mean, when I finished, it looked so big I thought “now where we gonna put it.” Later I made another smaller bean bag. I love the smaller one; my family and friends love the big bean bag chair.

Let’s recap. What you’re gonna need to make this convertible bean bag:

2 full-size sheet
2 twin size fleece blanket
Durable upholstery material for the bottom of the cover.
Zipper
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine.

I use my Brother sewing machine for all my sewing projects, and I can’t be happier with it. Also, note I’m a complete beginner.

BUT please know for this DIY bean bag you will make simple stitches. Which is good news, you can purchase a cheaper machine if you don’t own one yet.

Remember, I said the full-size turned out too big for us? Keep that in mind and adjust the measurements if you want a smaller bean bag.

1st Step. Sew the liner for the inner cushion.

This part of the project is probably the easiest.

1. Just lay the 2 flat sheets top of each other and use some pins to secure the sides together.

2. Then sew 3 sides together. You can sew the 4th part as well, but make sure you leave a hole to be able to put the bean bag filler in it.

3. Fill with the 8 bags of beans. 8 packs were enough for my project, but if you adjust the fabric sizes, you might want to change the amount of the filler as well.

4. Finish sewing the 4th side.

I know it’s ugly, but I wanted to make a trial on how big the chair will be. Yup! It will be HUGE!

Anywho, if you made it this far, your sleepover bed is done!

2nd Step. Sew the Bean Bag Cover together

I decided to make a teardrop-ish design. This bean bag design is excellent if you want to have back support when you work on your laptop or watching TV.

I came up with the most straightforward bean bag pattern. It will work well for you if you have 2 rectangular bed sheet or blanket. Even if you decide to buy fabric to make this cozy floor cushion, you can follow my bean bag pattern below.

The numbers are there only for reference.

1. Cut the first blanket like the pattern shows above. You will have 3 pieces.

2. Don’t touch the middle portion.

3. In effort to have two identical triangle pieces, you have to sew the long sides of the smaller triangles together. (Follow the 2 fat black arrows on the picture above.)

BTW, You don’t have to go through all of this trouble if you have enough material, and you can just cut 4 identical triangles. I had to alter it a little since I was working with limited fabrics.

4. Repeat with the second blanket.

5. Now you have 4 identical triangles. You want to sew them together by the long sides. When you are done, your sewing project will look like a cone.

6. Let’s prepare the bottom of the bean bag. Cut the square. Do you see the numbers on the pattern above? The short side of each triangle has to match the sides of the square.

3rd Step. Sew the bottom square and zipper to the triangles

I don’t like it when the zipper is too short, because it provides only a tiny opening to take out the inner cushion. So I wanted to make sure I don’t hate the day when I want to wash the bean bag cover. Therefore I decided to have the zipper around 3 sides of the square bottom. Now, that is a big enough opening to take out and put back the bed. If you are like me and don’t want to struggle on laundry day with your bean bag, sew the zipper at least to 2 sides, but 3 is better.

1. Sew one side of the square to the short side of one triangle.

2. Turn the whole project inside out.

3. Sew the zipper to the 3 sides of the squares and the short sides of the 3 triangles.

Convertible DIY bean bag chair tips.

Look around the house and repurpose old bedsheets for the inner layer.
If you want to make a cozy soft bean bag chair, use a fleece blanket or fabric for the convertible cover.
For a super soft bean bag chair, you can use shredded memory foam fillers.
Repurpose zippers from old sweaters and jackets to save money on supply.

That’s it! If you read it this far, you should be ready to start with your new DIY project, so your friends and family can enjoy a new cozy bean bag. Plus, you have an extra bed for your visitors. If you prefer some video instruction, check out this tutorial.

PS. We used this HUGE bean bag for months, and one day my best friend’s kid came to visit. Fell in love with it and took it home. Ever since he pretty much lives on it. 🙂

Don’t forget to pin this post so you can come back for instructions anytime to finish your project.