Gone To Earth

Tutorial - An envelope back cushion cover

... or envelope back pillow if you prefer.

I love cushions around the house, they can add such a burst of colour and you can make covers like these with even the most modest of sewing skills. 

 So, lets make a cushion cover..... a simple envelope backed cushion cover.

You will need;

•  a cushion insert which are available from all kinds of places.  (My cushion insert is an easily obtainable 40cm by 40cm)
• Fabric  - enough to cut one piece the same size as the cushion insert, plus 1cm for the seam allowances.  (So, for a 40cm by 40cm cushion insert you want a piece of fabric 42cm by 42cm.)

 

 

(Lots of colours and patterns to create something beautiful with)

• Fabric enough to cut two back pieces each 42cm by 35cm. (Fabric used for the back doesn't have to be same as the fabric used for the front - mix them up for a bit of contrast if you like.)
• scissors or rotary cutter and board
• Matching thread
• tape measure
• pins

Fabric Notes: I'm using home decor weight fabric for this project but medium/quilt weight fabric also makes a very nice cushion cover.  You may not need to buy new fabric you may already have enough for what you need.  You can salvage fabric from an old unwanted duvet cover, sheets or curtains, use pieces left over from other projects, but be  bold.  This is not intended to be a beige project... beige has it's own place in the crafting world but it isn't here amongst the cushions.  Not today anyway.

To make your cushion cover;

Cut one piece of fabric 42cm by 42cm (this will help keep the cushion fairly plump looking.

Cut two back pieces 42cm by 35cm.

Hem the back pieces - Take one of the back pieces and fold one of the 42cm edges over by 1cm.  Iron this into place. 

(A handy little sewing gauge.)

Turn it over another 1 cm and iron that down to make your double folded hem.  Pin this down if it helps to keep everything in place.  

4. Take this to your sewing machine and sew down the edge of your folded seam.

5. Repeat this with the other back piece.  Remembering that if your fabric has a one way/directional pattern you need to consider this, as you will want to have the pattern all the facing the same way.

6. Place the front piece face up on your work surface.  Lay one back piece right side facing down onto the front piece, aligning the top edge and the bottom edge. The un-hemmed side edge should line up with the outer edge of the cushion front.

7.  Take the second back piece and place it right side facing down onto the other fabric pieces. Align the top and bottom edges as before.  The un-hemmed edge needs to line up with the outer edge of the cushion front.   

There will be an overlap in the middle, with no ‘front piece’ fabric showing. (This forms the the ‘envelope’)   

8.  Pin this into position to hold everything in place.

9. Take this to the sewing machine and sew all the way around the ‘square’, using a 1cm seam allowance.   Move any pins out of the way so that you don't break your needle as you sew.  

10. Fasten off any trailing threads so there's nothing likely to come undone at any point in your soon-to-be cushions life.

 
11. Trim fabric away from the corners to reduce bulk and give give you nice corners when you turn your new cover inside out.  

12. Turn the cover inside out.

13.  Give it a little press to tidy it up...

 

 14.  Insert cushion insert.

 

15.  Admire!  Fetch a book or magazine, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and give it a road test.

 

Or then again you might just have to make one or two more ....

Enjoy!   

Plodding along...

How is everyone?  I feel that I've been 'missing in action' for a while.  

Do you remember my post about joining in a quilt-a-long without really owning up to it?

Well I'm still plodding along, getting bits and pieces done.

I've cut all the fabric out now.

(A few cut out pieces...)

I've definitely played around with laying fabric side by side.... 

I've been sewing blocks together..... it's such a simple but effective block pattern.

I love the way the fabric looks in this little layout.... When I first saw Good Folks I thought it quite a dark collection but over time I've changed my opinion.  I think it's the golden yellows, tangerines and intense pinks that make it sing.  That yellow is quite exotic... very warm.

 

 
As I've sewed more blocks I've begun to relax a bit about which fabrics go together because there doesn't seem to be an 'awful' combination... but there are definitely some that sing particularly loudly. 

I should point out that I need 80 blocks to make the complete quilt... and I have about 20, but that's a 1/4 of the way there isn't it?  I don't want it in a hurry, which is really just as well. Making this quilt for me is really just about enjoying the process.  I'm wondering if perhaps I should settle for a throw sized quilt.

(A few blocks laid out on the table... just to admire the colour)

Instead, I'm focusing on my piecing.  I'm trying out Elizabeth Hartman's suggestion of pressing the seams open instead of pressing them to one side as is more usual in patchwork. (The traditional pressing of the seam to the side is supposed to make a stronger seam by protecting the stitching from wear and eventual splitting.) Elizabeth's method ensures that a block which is intended to be six inches in size actually ends up as a six inch block. Providing of course you've sewn an accurate seam allowance :) 

Others I know argue for using a 'scant' 1/4 inch seam, to ensure your blocks end up the size you wanted them to be.  This means that you have to make allowances when piecing for the fact that pressing a seam to the side actually takes up the width of the thread. (Multiply those thread widths over an entire quilt and it can add up to make a surprising amount of difference. But I suspect that loads of us have made up that difference in the border.... Who me?)  

Elizabeth's method is certainly simple enough but I'm wondering what will happen when I actually quilt it.... we'll see.

Speak soon.... I should have a few more blocks by then.