Giant 32! Help needed.

jon · Post by **jon** » 25 Jun 2006 16:38

As a summer project I want to make a bean bag chair. A 32 panel bean bag chair. I need any tips anyone can provide on making big bags.

What size panels should I make for the bag to come out the right size?

Picture for size reference.

What do I use for fill, what will be cheap? I will need a lot of it.

Thanks Modified!

Love,
Jon "the deflater" Haber

Matt_mcfarland · Post by **Matt_mcfarland** » 25 Jun 2006 18:28

if you went to walmart or something, they might have a soccerball beanbag chair. if so, take the panel sizes of it, then make the short sides of the hexes shorter like a professionly stitched 32 would be, and make the pents a bit larger so the size is the same.
crushed pane sounds comfy for a beanbag, and is very cheap, but most beanbags are made of very flexibble, rubbery leather. they are filled with little styrafoamy beads, that have to be dirt cheap.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 25 Jun 2006 19:27

Hehe I keep meaning to do this!

You could just measure a bag and then multiply the numbers by some factor.

Then make templates and put it together.

ville · Post by **ville** » 26 Jun 2006 00:50

You could fill it with an actual bean bag!

krawallier · Post by **krawallier** » 26 Jun 2006 04:44

i think lead filler would be best.

sen · Post by **sen** » 26 Jun 2006 06:19

Wal Mart often sells bean bags where you buy the stuffing seperate. That would be your best bet for the fill.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 26 Jun 2006 07:42

Yeah WalMart has 'poly pellets' not like the ones we use, but a different type as well. They're the soft kind you find in teddy bears, and I think that bean bags use them too.

brinard · Post by **brinard** » 26 Jun 2006 13:09

just buy a bean bag chair, and take off the outside(normally encased with a zipper)

i guess you could just cover the chair without taking off the outside too... but then it would prolly be slick.

id make the template be like 9 inches for pents, 11 for hexes with like a 4 inch short side. that might be way too small tho... like a footstool size...

hackeysnacker · Post by **hackeysnacker** » 26 Jun 2006 14:42

try outlining 32 panels on a crummy old chair u can find in an alley somewhere, then cut it up, scan the panels you've cut out, and enlarge them slightly (flange)

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 26 Jun 2006 15:41

I think having a template where the hex's long side is excessively longer than the pent's measurement is out of the question. This beanbag chair won't be needing bleed holes! Maybe a few centimeters longer will do for a good feel and approach on making a 32-panel bean bag chair, but generally making the pents in the same measurement as the hex's long side will do just fine.

shred villain · Post by **shred villain** » 26 Jun 2006 15:46

for filler you could cut up old shirts or any other scrap material.

Pengu · Post by **Pengu** » 27 Jun 2006 13:18

Your best bet would be a serger to serge all the seams and then topstitch it with a sewing machine to make the edging look nice. With a sewing machine only, use a straight stitch with a medium stitch length to make sure your edges are crisp and clean. You won't be able to make these panels with any gather. Make sure you leave lots of flange so that the material doesn't pull apart where you've sewed.

Make sure you have the right needle if you're going to use a sewing machine. Upholstery fabric and denim are thicker and will break your needle if you are using just a normal all-purpose sewing machine needle and that can be dangerous.

I hope you aren't trying to sew this thing by hand. If that's your plan, carpet stitch it. Just running stitch won't hold and you'll have your panels sliding around and 'gathering' when you sit on it.

Lastly, beanbag styrofoam pellets are sold at walmart and most craft stores and fabric retailers like BouClaire. It is super cheap. Often these styrofoam pellets are encased within the bean bag chairs with a plastic bag. It prevents leakage and stuff. Use a garbage bag or something if you want.