How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

I saw this terrific pom pom throw at Anthropologie but it was $98.  I knew that I could make it myself for less and managed to make it for about $25 all in by using a medium weight canvas drop cloth and making my own pom poms.  The key to this throw is washing and bleaching the drop cloth.  You could keep your drop cloth natural if you like but in order to go with my decor I needed it to be white so I decided to bleach mine.  Regardless of whether you keep it natural or bleach it white you will need to wash it.  The more you wash it the softer it will become.  Of course softer is better.  

I purchased my drop cloth from Amazon because it needed to be 100% cotton and I had the yarn and bleach on hand.  I can’t stress the importance of getting a drop cloth that is 100% cotton for this project. Believe me I know from personal experience when I tried to bleach a cloth I got from Home Depot and had no luck at all.  I poured what looked and smelled like a lot of bleach and the cloth didn’t change color in the slightest.  I purchased one that I knew was 100% cotton and it worked like a charm. 

If you do not have the yarn on hand I recommend getting a chunky yarn for this project as you want the pom poms to be in proportion to the size of the throw.  In this instance I made my throw 60″ long x 50″ wide which is the same size as the one I saw from Anthropoligie. My drop cloth was 6 ft x 9 ft so there was plenty of cloth to cut out the size I needed with plenty left over for future drop cloth projects. This post contains affiliate links that if you purchase them I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  

What you will Need:  

• 100% Cotton Canvas Drop Cloth
• Bleach
• 2 skeins of Chunky Yarn in any color you like.  I used Bernat Softee Baby Chunky
• Yarn Needle
• Scissors

Step 1: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Bleach and wash your drop cloth.  The best way to bleach your drop cloth is to place it in a top loading washer.  Place the drop cloth into the washer and fill it with hot water.  Pour in about a third of the container of bleach into the washer and agitate for a bit to spread out the bleach.  Stop the washer and let the cloth soak for several hours while the bleach does its magic.  Keep an eye on the cloth because if you leave it in too long it may start to yellow.  

If, like me, you do not have a top loading washer you can do it the old fashioned way.  I filled my bathtub with hot water and put in the drop cloth and the bleach.  I agitated it with the end of a broom stick so the bleach is fully integrated with the water and the cloth.  After 3-4 hours I drained out the bleached water.  I rinsed the drop cloth thoroughly using hot water and wrung as much water out of it as I could.  

Once the drop cloth has been bleached wash it in your washing machine using hot water and fabric softener and dry thoroughly.  If it is not as soft as you want it wash and dry it again.  

Step 2: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Cut the drop cloth so that it is 60 1/2″ long and 50 1/2″ wide.

Step 3: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Hem the cut sides by folding the hem by 1/2″ and under by 1/4″ and sewing.  You should have a finished throw of 60″ long x 50″ wide.  You could make your throw bigger or smaller. It is completely up to you.  

Step 4: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Make the pom poms.  These are very large pom poms.  All you need in order to make the pom poms is your hand and some yarn.  Wrap the yarn around the palm of your hand about 90 times. The chunky yarn makes nice big pom poms.  If you are not using chunky yarn you will want to wrap more revolutions, perhaps 120.  Keep the yarn on your palm and not the fingers.  If you want smaller pom poms wrap the yarn around your fingers.  The fewer fingers the smaller the pom pom.  You could also use a pom pom maker but I found that the large pom pom maker was not large enough for the pom poms for this project.  

Step 5: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Once you have completed wrapping the yarn, gently slide the yarn from your hand and place the bundle onto your work table.  Take a piece of yarn about 8″ long and wrap it around the center of the yarn loops and tie a knot tightly.  

Step 6: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Cut through all of the loops to create the pom pom.  As the yarn pops out you will notice that it is not perfectly round.  That is normal.  Just trim around the pom pom to make it even and you have completed your pom pom.  

Step 7: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

Add your pom poms to the canvas throw.  Fold the throw in half lengthwise and mark the center.  You will add a pom pom in the center and on the corners and in between the center and the corners.  You will have a total of 10 pom poms, five on one end and five on the other.  

Step 8: How to Make a Drop Cloth Pom Pom Throw

In order to sew the pom poms to the throw insert one of the tie ends of the pom poms into the yarn needle.  Insert the yarn needle into the end of the throw at your marks.  Tie the two ends together and knot them.  Clip the ends.  Once you have added all of your pom poms you have completed your drop cloth pom pom throw.  

 

I hope that you enjoyed this project.  If you did and would like more sewing and crafting projects sign up for our newsletter and receive your free eBook of 15 handbag patterns and tutorials.  

 

 

If you would like to make the little bunny in the picture check out my tutorial on how to make a cuddly bunny.