Does your family enjoying going to your local baseball stadium? Are you all prepared for football season? Will you be spending some quality time in hard seats? You might just need some easy DIY cushions for your crew. You and your kids can work together to make these simple seats, which are sometimes called “sit-upons.” They have just enough padding to keep you comfortable, and they’re waterproof too. So even if someone forgot to wipe down the seats after a bit of rain, you’ll still be good and dry.

• Fabric (a fat quarter will work in most cases)
• Iron-on vinyl
• Perle cotton thread or yarn
• 3 or 4 padded envelopes
• Scissors
• Iron
• 1/8” hole punch (standard punch will work)

Step 1
Cut a 15 x 22 inch rectangle of fabric. Use the iron-on vinyl to laminate the fabric, following the manufacturer’s instructions. An adult should do this step.

Step 2
Fold the laminated fabric in half with the wrong sides together. Use a hole punch to make holes around the three edges, spacing them about 1 inch apart. A quality punch should be able to punch through both layers at the same time, although it takes a strong hand. Otherwise, punch around one layer, then punch the second layer so it lines up with the first layer.

Step 3
Cut a 7-foot piece of perle cotton or yarn and fold it in half. Tie one end through the first set of holes closest to the fold.

Step 4
Lace through the holes with whip stitch. If you find that your child is having a hard time threading the string through the holes, wrap a piece of tape around the end or use a large plastic needle. Sew around two sides and stop before you stitch the third side closed.

Step 5
Turn the padded envelopes inside out if they have printing on them or if they are dirty from use. Note: Recycled/reused envelopes work great for this. If possible, choose the kind that are plastic on the outside because they are more moisture proof.

Step 6
Slide the envelopes into the stitched cushion cover. If they are too tight, you can trim the edges of the envelopes down a little.

Step 7
Finish sewing the cushion closed, then tie off the end. Trim the excess thread or yarn.

Your cushion is now ready! Because the fabric is laminated and water-proof, these cushions are great for sitting in the grass or around a campfire. They’re also perfect for when a kids each need their own “spot” to sit on the floor. But be sure to bring them along for sitting on metal bleachers at the big game!

Even though they are pretty thin, the bubble mailers really do give these a nice cushion. In fact, every kid who tried these out for me expressed their amazement about how comfy they are. Plus, they’re bright and fun!

Make one for each person in your family, and perhaps a few extras so you can sit comfortably with a whole group of friends!