Thanksgiving Harvest Classroom Craft: Sit-upon Craft

A sit-upon is a homemade waterproof seat cushion that is often made for scouting or nature activities to sit around the campfire, near a tent, sporting event, or in this case, in the classroom. We made this craft for the class Harvest Party to be used for the kids during snack time on the floor. This is an affordable craft under $2 per sit-upon and kids get to actually use their creativity and personalize their own seat cushion!

Sit-upon Craft Supplies

• Vinyl table cloth, shower curtain, wall paper, oilcloth, or plastic bags from retail and grocery stores. Cut in pieces of 16″x32″ rectangles.
• Hole puncher
• Waterproof carpet padding, newspaper, plastic bags, foam or any inexpensive padding. Cut into squares of 14″x14″.
• Muslin fabric, canvas or inexpensive plain fabric for stamping. Cut into squares of 15″x15″.
• 777 spray glue (available at craft or building supply store)
• Hot glue gun with glue sticks
• Plain scissors
• Zig-zag scissors
• Twine, yarn, sturdy string or duct tape
• White painter’s tape
• Plain sponges
• Paint in orange, red, and brown colors or use any colors you like to fit your theme

Sit-upon Craft Instructions (Part 1)

Do Ahead of Time:
Step 1. Cut out pieces of 16″x32″ rectangles out of the vinyl table cloth, shower curtain, wall paper or any inexpensive plastic, waterproof material. I used inexpensive vinyl tablecloth 102″ length ones so I got 9 sit-upons from each table cloth. Pretty inexpensive at $5 per table cloth.

Step 2. Cut out the padding from newspapers, waterproof carpet padding, or use left over fabric. I choose to use the carpet padding at $0.38 per square foot since the sit-upons were going to be used for a long period of time in the classroom and needed to last a bit longer and have a bit more padding for the hard tile floor. Measure padding at 14″x14″ and cut with scissors or an exacto knife.

Step 3. Take the 16″x32″ table cloth and fold in half to make a square of 16″x16″. You will now have a square with one folded edge and 3 raw edges. Punch holes every inch around all three raw edges of the cover, doing both layers at the same time, so the holes match up.

Step 4. Measure a piece of 15″x15″ fabric and cut to size. This piece will be glued to the table cloth so that the kids can decorate and stamp this part later on. Spray the fabric with 777 spray glue in an open area. Make sure you lay out an area with drop cloth or paper bags from the grocery store so that the glue does not get all over the place.

Position the fabric on the sit-upon in the middle of the folded 16″ square, and glue in place.

Use some hot glue to secure the corners if you need the sit-upon to last a bit longer.

Sit-upon Craft Instructions (Part 2)

Do with the Troop, Classroom or Group:

1. Insert padding inside the table cloth.



2. Measure about 70″ of yarn and cut. Take a piece of white painter’s tape and wrap around one end of the yarn to make the yarn stiff to form a needle. Try to wrap it as thin and pointy as possible.



3. To sew, string the cord through from one side of the sit-upon where the holes begin and make a knot to secure. Then use an overcast stitch by working from bottom of the hole, pull the cord through the hole, and pull out the other side. Repeat by moving on to the next hole and working again from the bottom of the hole, pull the cord through the hole, to the other side. Always work in the same direction. When you are done sewing the entire sit-upon, tie a knot at the end to secure.



4. Get some sponge foam and let kids cut out into various shapes. It helps if they use a pen to draw out the shape first and then cut out the shape afterwards. Some of the shapes that were popular for that time of year were pumpkin, apples, stars, balloons, and leaves.
5. Squeeze some paint on a tray and let kids stamp the fabric side of the sit-upon. First, make sure the sponge is damp. Dip the sponge in the paint and make sure to coat evenly. Tap off any excess on the side of the tray or on a paper towel. Position the sponge onto the cloth side of the sit-upon. Press down gently and apply even pressure all over the sponge. Lift the sponge off perpendicular to the surface making sure not to smudge or smear the imprint.
6. Let the kids change colors by washing out the sponge and using it with a different color.



7. Have the kids use permanent markers to write their names, dates, class, team, or scout troop number afterwards.
8. Let the project dry for at least 4 hours or overnight.