I’ve been working on a lot of nursery projects lately. Awhile back, I ordered a bunch of fabric samples and thought I’d chosen a favorite. And then, when we’d moved into the house and painted the walls, I lined up all of the swatches we had and Mr. Hopscotch and I both immediately chose Jessica Jones’ Tulip.
It perfectly pulls together the colors we want: yellow, gray and blue, and I would (personally) put a girl or a boy in the room with this fabric. Normally $16/yard, I found it around Christmas on sale for around $9/yard, so I quickly bought 6 yards so we’d have plenty on hand for curtains, crib skirt, etc.
One project I’ve had in mind, especially since we bought our rocker, was making a “pouf” to rest our feet on while sitting in the rocker. I had come across this tutorial, and it seemed simple enough for me to tackle in an afternoon (and it was!). I used the measurements the blogger provided to create my pattern. I opted to do the “small pouf” as it seemed like it would fit our space better. I taped a bunch of computer paper together to make the pattern, but in retrospect I realized wax paper or parchment paper would probably have been much easier.
I cut out 8 diamonds of fabric – 4 in the tulip fabric and 4 in a lightweight turquoise corduroy that I had leftover from another project (which happens to work perfectly in the nursery!).
Following the instructions, I sewed down one of the ends of each diamond about 3 inches (note: I messed up my very first one! The end you sew down is actually the top of the pouf, so I should have sewed the other end so the tulip was right side up… something to pay attention to depending on the pattern you’re working with).
I then sewed together pairs of tulip and corduroy so that I had 4 pairs.
I sewed together pairs so that I had 2 groups of 4 panels.
After that, I sewed together the 2 sets so that I had the complete pouf and flipped it inside out.
I had picked up this big box of stuffing and used almost all of it to stuff the pouf. The instructions also say you can use rags/fabric scraps as stuffing as well.
I stuffed my pouf nice and full, making sure I filled out the shape evenly and didn’t have any lumpy sides.
I cut an 8-inch octagon out of the tulip fabric, finished the edges, and then hand sewed it onto the top of the pouf.
And… ta-da! The pouf works perfectly with the rocker.
I was able to kick back, put my feet up and relax after all of my hard work!
This was such a fun project that only took a few hours from start to finish, and all-in-all only cost around $30 for fabric and stuffing (I probably way overpaid for stuffing since I purchased it on Amazon rather than going to the craft store).
Did you do any DIY projects for your nursery?
Hellobee Series: Mrs. Hopscotch part 3 of 12
1. Going Au Naturale by Mrs. Hopscotch2. The Journey to Baby H by Mrs. Hopscotch
3. A Nursery... Pouf! by Mrs. Hopscotch
4. A Work At Home Dad by Mrs. Hopscotch
5. Big Reveal: Baby H's Nursery! by Mrs. Hopscotch
6. A Day with a Newborn by Mrs. Hopscotch
7. Placenta Encapsulation by Mrs. Hopscotch
8. The Nanny Share by Mrs. Hopscotch
9. Reflections on Maternity Leave by Mrs. Hopscotch
10. In the picture by Mrs. Hopscotch
11. I'm in the picture! by Mrs. Hopscotch
12. Sleep at 8 months & How Baby H Started Sleeping Through the Night at 12 Weeks by Mrs. Hopscotch
honeydew / 7968 posts
very nice! very creative! i’m assuming you have a sewing machine? looks easy yet complicated at the same time!
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
WOW! Looks great! Love the colors!
pomegranate / 3595 posts
What a great project! I love that fabric and am excited to see what else you used it for. I made a bird mobile with the spool pattern i found online and a bunting with the leftover fabric. It kept me busy when i was pregnant and I like the personality it givves the nursery.
blogger / apricot / 366 posts
@tequiero21: Yep, I got a new sewing machine for Christmas so I’ve been putting it to good use
@mamacate: I’m making the bird mobile from spool as well! I have all of my birds done but just have to get a branch and hang it. Such a simple project and the birds are too cute!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
It looks great! I really should learn how to sew.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
Love that fabric!
pomegranate / 3595 posts
@Mrs. Hopscotch: how fun! I look forward to seeing your birds too then. We just used a branch from the tree in our backyard. Hanging it was a pain, but we just sort of winged it and it eventually worked out. It is a great project!
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
I love this! If I have time, I might have to try making one, too! My sewing skills aren’t fantastic, but maybe I can pull it off…
blogger / apricot / 366 posts
@mrs. tictactoe: It’s really easy – I promise! Literally cut 8 diamonds with the pattern, sew them together, flip it right-side-out and stuff. Super simple
My sewing skills aren’t fantastic either!
coffee bean / 32 posts
That turned out great! Cute fabric too.
nectarine / 2458 posts
I’m planning on doing the same thing for my nursery! I used fabric to cover the front of the drawers for the dresser and I plan on using the extra to make a pouf! I have a glider (not a rocker) and I just feel way too out of control being in a glider with a gliding ottoman.
Now I’m more excited to start the project! lol