Making Your Own Futon Mattress

Are you talking about making the cover for it or making the actual mattress?

I'd think you could buy the mattress cheaper.

I don't know if you've been peeking in on our discussion about craigslist furniture but you can find some absolute steals on there.

I found this one (in my city) for $125 total (I don't know what city you're in or I would look there):

Oooh, not bad....

Thanks Boomer!

Happy hunting, Bella. Craigslist is fun.

It is a craigslist.org (not a .com).

I've been using it to find furniture for my house. It can be a bit frustrating trying to get hold of people and arrange things but the prices are usually very, very good.

I solved this problem in college by finding nice looking but slightly overweight coeds and sleeping on top of them.

Didn't you get all sweaty?

Oh and Boomer, I was actually thinking of making my own mattress. I saw this project for a "Tween Couch" and thought....could I make this into a real couch? Could I acutally make a futon mattress?

How cute is this couch?

Tween Couch

Oh that is cute.

I don't think I could make such a thing but I'm inept in that kind of thing making.

When you get it done you MUST post a photo for us!

My hubby is a little leary about me actually being able to make it but....I think what I will do is get that really cheap futon frame and measure it from there. I don't want the cushions I make to be too small for it. I am going to go scope out material costs because it can get very expensive to do something like this, with the cost of fabric sometimes being $20 a yard for home decor stuff.

I am also making curtains, actually just sheer thingys for decoration purposes, for the living room also. Easy peasy for that though.... Just buy sheer fabric, sew a hem, put up some swag hooks and drap around the window. Looks fabulous and is so easy.

You might find that the foam is the big expense. I just got some foam at Jo-Ann fabrics for a window cushion, it was pricey!! The thicker it is, the more expensive it gets. I got 2" foam -- I forget the price, ~$20/ yard? Much more than I expected, anyway. Then the 4 inch was much more expensive yet, and you'd need 2 4-inch squares for the thickest ones...

The actual sewing looks pretty straightforward though, the cording is one of those tricks that looks complicated and really isn't.

Definitely post pics when you're done!

Oh, but they have it on sale online, not bad!

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=82280&PRODID=81583&source=search

$65 for 4 X 24 X 76. So if you got 2 of those, that'd be enough for the couch as shown. (Six squares of 22 X 22 inches, for two 8-inch cushions and 2 4-inch cushions.)

Cutting it to size is another problem, tho, they'll cut it to length in the store but not any off the sides. So for example if it's currently 24 inches wide and you want it to be 22 inches wide, need to do it yourself. (They had a cool vibrating knife thing, almost like a little chainsaw, haven't figured out how I'll do it yet. Might just use scissors, assume it will look bad/ uneven, and have that edge to the wall.)

I just love stuff like this but like you said, it can get expensive. And to pay $200-$300 for all the materials, I might as well just buy a whole futon.

Yup. Even on sale, that's $130 for the foam alone.

Hey, I just got a thingy in the mail for 40% of one item at Joann's. I'd have to get one long strip of the foam and cut it at home but for 40% off, that's a great deal!!

They only have it in 76-inch lengths, so I think you'd still have to buy another one at full price. That'd help, though!

Does the coupon apply online? I think (not sure of this part) that the sale is only online, so it'd be 40% off of $87, then the other one full price at $87, so that's about the same.

Ooh, actually a little more that way, $139 as opposed to $130, but no shipping...

If it applies online and you can use it on already-reduced items, though, that would help.

Or I could be shady and have my MIL, who will be with me tomorrow, buy a strip with her 40% off coupon. He he he.....

Heh..!

Heh indeed!

It really isn't that hard to cut the foam in a nice smooth cut.

Get a big board that is as least as wide as the foam.
Place the edge of the board along the cutting line.
Kneel down on the board to squish.
Cut with a box knife.

Or use an electric knife.

Or...I could just use the foam out of my current couch......

hm.......I wonder......

Electric knife! That's what they had at the store.