DIY Wednesday: Make a Moroccan pouf out of the world's ugliest party dress

Welcome back to DIY Wednesday. Today we will be making a Moroccan pouf out of an old party dress. And best yet - it doesn't have to cost one cent.

This pouf project is inspired by the Moroccan style ottomans that have been popping up like toadstools all over design magazines and blogs. This is partly because Moroccan design is hot right now. But it's also because poufs are a pretty useful little piece of furniture, especially for an apartment dweller like myself. A pouf can double as a footstool, side table, coffee table, extra seating and even storage.

Below are two of my inspiration poufs, one from John Derian and the other from My Marrakesh.

johnderian.com

My Marrakesh

For more Moroccan pouf inspiration, check out Anne Sage's post at The City Sage.

Here's the catch - Moroccan poufs can cost anywhere between $70 and $325, too much for this frugerati decorator.

While pondering my knock-off dreams, it has occurred to me that Moroccan style shares a certain vibe with party dresses - jeweled tones, sparkly embellishments and overall shimmer. Poufs are pricy. Party dresses are plentiful and cheap. Americans discard 10 million tons of clothing a year. I see outdated party dresses, bridesmaid dresses and assorted other blingy attire hanging for weeks in thrift stores before being sent off to their final resting place - some landfill.

To make a large pouf (15 inches tall by 22 inches wide) you will probably need two party dresses. (A set of heinous bridesmaid dresses would be perfect.) In my case, the dress came with a full-length jacket of the same fabric, which provided just the right amount of fabric.

Although I call this the world's ugliest party dress, it actually isn't. That was hyperbole to suck you into this post. I actually had a hard time cutting this dress up. It was handmade, for one thing, and vintage. However, it was also stained (and already drycleaned) and so formal and shiny bright it could only be worn if:

• You were attending the presidential inauguration . . . of JFK


• You are a villainess from The Chronicles of Narnia.

So, I like to think I am honoring the dress by rescuing it from sure destruction and turning it into something useful.

Materials needed:

1 sheet of paper at least 36" long and 12" wide

1 or 2 ornate party dresses

A bunch of paper, rags, fabric remnants, old blankets, etc. for stuffing your pouf.

First, we will make a pattern for our pouf.

My pouf design is made up of eight sections sewn together in the shape of a pincushion. Using pi (remember pi?), you can make any size of pouf you want. Or you can use my pre-calculated pouf pattern available here. A large pouf will be about 15 inches tall by 22 inches wide. A small one will be about 8 inches tall by about 18 inches wide.


Your paper pattern, when folded, will look like this.

1. Unfold your paper pattern and pin it to your party dress. If your dress has a lining, include the lining as well. Cut out a section. (You may have to get creative about placing your pattern pieces so that you have enough fabric for a complete piece.) Continue until you have cut out eight sections. Save any scraps, snaps or embellishments from the dress.

2. For each of the eight sections, measure down about three inches from one tip, fold and sew in place. This will eventually create a hole at the top of your ottoman to allow for stuffing.

3. Pin two sections together, wrong side out, and sew along one edge using a 1/2 inch seam. Sew the remaining sections together along one edge in sets of two. Sew each set of two along one edge into sets of four. Sew your two sets of four together along both edges.

4. Pull the fabric through the hole at the top of the ottoman to turn it right side out.

5. Stuff your ottoman with whatever is available. I found mine made a great storage location for the wads of fabric I keep around for future projects.

6. To make a 'lid' for your ottoman, you can use any Moroccan-inspired shape. To make a basic octagon, cut an eight-inch circle out of paper. Fold it in half, in half again and in half again. Cut a straight line across the curved edge. Pin to a piece of your remaining fabric and cut out an octagon. Fold over each edge half an inch and sew. (If you only have small scraps left, you can piece together several small diamond shapes into a star.)

7. Hand bast at least one edge of the lid to the top of the ottoman. Use your recycled snaps to secure the other edges. (Or use velcro.)

8. Optional: Decorate your ottoman with any sequins or other embellishments from the dress.

The finished product.

Note: the large ottoman is quite large. In fact, I fell to the ground in shock and dismay after stuffing my pouf and realizing it turned out exactly the size I had measured and almost the same size as John Derian's, which also happened to be an enormous size in my wee apartment. Stuffed with rags, it is also heavy as a month of dirty laundry. That is why I have included several pictures of it finished so that you will not be surprised if your little project turns out to be Jabba the Hut.

On the other hand, it is tall enough to be a side table and provides a nice comfy seat. But if you're just looking for a place to put your feet up, go for the smaller pouf.