Make a Sit Upon – great camp craft!

Summer is just about over and the kids will be heading back to school soon. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll be spending less time outside just yet. Any mom whose ever been involved with scouts will remember this project. Making a sit upon is fun, it’s easy, and it creates a fun seat for your child to keep their tushy protected from dirty or wet grass. Make a sit upon before summer comes to a close!

A sit upon is usually made from some sort of waterproof fabric, like a fabric backed vinyl tablecloth, and filled with some padding. The padding can be a stack of newspapers, crumpled newspaper, foam squares, scraps of fabric, or even a preformed throw pillow. Everything is sewn together by using some yarn and a hole punch and when used it will protect a child’s backside from the wet grass or dirty ground.

I chose to recycle an old, ratty bed pillow to use as the innards. You know the kind. Those yucky looking pillows that your kids have been drooling sleeping on for ages. So you go out and buy new pillows for the kids, but what to do with the old ones? Feel guilty about throwing them in the garbage? Then remove the outer fabric casing and make a sit upon with me!

supplies:

water resistant fabric (I used a roll of heavy duty shelf liner)
recycled pillow
hole punch
scissors
ruler
yarn
tape

These items are optional for the shoulder strap:
wide ribbon
needle
clear thread

You’ll want to start by measuring your fabric to be two inches wider than your pillow. Because I used an actual bed pillow, I used my scissors to cut the pillow to approximately 13″ square.

Now take your fabric of choice and fold it over the pillow so that you have 3 open sides.

Trim the 3 sides so that they are 2 inches of fabric overlap on all three sides. Now remove the pillow and set aside and fold the fabric so that the right sides are facing out. Use a hole punch to create holes 1-inch apart about 1/2-inch from the three open edges.

Cut a piece of yarn about two times the length of one side of the fabric. Tie a knot in one end and wrap a piece of tape around the other end (to make it easier to thread through the holes). Starting near the folded end, sew up one side of the fabric using a blanket stitch. I started my stitch at the first hole, but taped the end of the yarn inside the fabric so that the knotted end didn’t come loose and come through the large hole, which could have unraveled the entire thing.

Repeat this process on the other side, leaving the top open. Insert the pillow into the opening.

If you plan to add handles you will need some clear thread and a needle. First, to measure the correct length of ribbon, have child stand comfortably and drape the ribbon over their shoulder. Cut the proper length based on where you want the cushion end to be. You will need 2 equal lengths of ribbon. Place the ribbon inside the opening and hand sew the ends inside the fabric. Finally, finish the stitching across the top opening.

This is a fun project for kids that involves only a little help from a grown up. You can skip the shoulder strap to simplify this project even more.

By using a water resistant fabric, you will be able to easily wipe the sit upon clean with a damp cloth.

Make a Sit Upon - great camp craft!

 

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Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

• water resistant fabric (I used a roll of heavy duty shelf liner)
• recycled pillow
• hole punch
• scissors
• ruler
• yarn
• tape
• wide ribbon
• needle
• clear thread

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Directions

1. You’ll want to start by measuring your fabric to be two inches wider than your pillow. Because I used an actual bed pillow, I used my scissors to cut the pillow to approximately 13″ square.
2. Now take your fabric of choice and fold it over the pillow so that you have 3 open sides.
3. Trim the 3 sides so that they are 2 inches of fabric overlap on all three sides. Now remove the pillow and set aside and fold the fabric so that the right sides are facing out. Use a hole punch to create holes 1-inch apart about ½-inch from the three open edges.
4. Cut a piece of yarn about two times the length of one side of the fabric. Tie a knot in one end and wrap a piece of tape around the other end (to make it easier to thread through the holes). Starting near the folded end, sew up one side of the fabric using a blanket stitch.
5. Repeat this process on the other side, leaving the top open. Insert the pillow into the opening.
6. If you plan to add handles you will need some clear thread and a needle. First, to measure the correct length of ribbon, have child stand comfortably and drape the ribbon over their shoulder. Cut the proper length based on where you want the cushion end to be. You will need 2 equal lengths of ribbon. Place the ribbon inside the opening and hand sew the ends inside the fabric. Finally, finish the stitching across the top opening.

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Amanda Formaro

Amanda Formaro is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years. She is also the editor for the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip and owner of FunFamilyCrafts.com.

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