100 Things 2 Do: DIY - Soccer Seat

I call this a "soccer seat" because that's what I use it for, but it really could be used for any sport or any outdoor event.

I got tired of lugging the lawn chair to and from the field each week. I wanted something small and portable, but that would still keep the ants out of my pants while sitting on the ground.

But, I'm not a fantastic sewer.
I'm not even a great sewer.
I'd go with mediocre, but with a lot of heart. lol

Now this is my first tutorial so bear with me...

Materials:

~ 1 yard of material of your choice (I say approximately, because it's going to depend on the size of foam cushion you have as an insert)
~150" of coordinating piping
1 - 36" zipper
1 foam cushion insert

Cuts:

2 pieces at 19" by 16.5" - this is 1/2" larger than my foam cushion (1/2" on each side)
2 pieces at 16.5" by 4.5" - again, I went with 1/2" per side over the depth of my cushion
1 piece at 19" by 4.5"
2 pieces at 19" by 3"
1 piece at 16.5" by 3.25"
Cut your piping to fit all around the top of your cushion. In this case that's 71".

Handle:

I like to start out easy - it builds my confidence...

Take your piece that is 16.25" by 3.25" and fold in all sides at about 1/4".
Iron flat

Fold in half and sew up each side

Centre and pin to the 19" by 4.5" piece of material

Sew ends only. I used an 'X' pattern just to make sure that the handle was re-enforced.

Zipper:

Take the two 19" by 3" pieces and, right sides together, baste a 1/4 seam along one side.
Press the seam open.

Pin the zipper in place.
The zipper itself should be centred on the basted seam - right side of zipper to wrong side of material
Sew in place.
Sew across both ends of the zipper to make sure that it won't open too far, or that the zipper won't slide right of the end of its track.

Remove the basted stitches with a stitch-ripper.

Sides:

Take the side with the handle, the side with the zipper and the two 16.5" by 4.5" sides.
Right sides together, sew them together end-to-end. Alternating long and short pieces.
The ends will also be sewn together to form a loop.

Now the tough part;

I can honestly tell you that this is the first time I have ever used piping.
Layer the 19" by 16.5" square piece, the piping (flat side along the edge of the material), and the rough edge of the side together. (like a sandwich square-piping-side)

Pin in place all the way around the cushion and then sew.
To make sure that I didn't sew over the "pipe" part of the piping, I made sure that the presser foot edge rode along it. That kept my stitch close to the "pipe" part ensuring that I captured the flat part all the way around.
I think I got stuck by about a million pins - but it worked.

Now for more pinning enjoyment - do the same with the other 19" by 16.5" panel.Make a sandwich with the flat ~square, the piping and the sides.
Pin in place and sew as before. (presser foot on the "pipe" part keeps it straight and tight).