How to fill a pouf or large cushion

June 1, 2020

Do you have a large cushion, pouf or ottoman that you wish to fill or refill?

When working on my Three Bears floor cushions I discovered that there are many quick and easy ways to fill them at home so I thought I would share what I found:

Here are my top three favourite techniques:

1) BEANS

Beans, the type you will find in Bean bags, are a great way to fill a large cushion or pouf. They will move and mould inside the item to create any required shape and are comfy to sit or lay on.

If you have an old bean bag that you can sacrifice then always reuse and recycle but if you need to buy new I would urge you to reconsider the old polystyrene balls as these are not environmentally friendly.

An eco alternative available now is a Bio-foam filling that is made from a biopolymer derived from plants.

Bio foam bean filling

If you are in the UK check out The Big Bean Bag Company selling these eco friendly refill beans by the litre (Outside the UK search for eco friendly bean bag filling).

If you opt for beans you will however need to contain them because if they escape the get EVERYWHERE!!! I would recommend using a length of stretchy stocking net that you can tie at each end I found some on Ebay and Amazon.

Stuffing bean bag

2) SCRAPS

Using scrap fabrics is a wonderful way to recycle fabrics that you have laying around and may never get around to using. Pack your cushion tightly full of scraps and you will have a nice soft filling that costs nothing.

3) STUFFING

Want a really soft filler for your cushions? Use a fibre fill, ideally avoid Polyester and opt for an Organic fibre which is grown without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Try to find an organic Cotton or Kapok filling like this one from Perfect Pillows in the UK (click image to link)