Ridiculously Easy Zippered Cushion Covers (with lovely Sharp Corners)

I spent Thursday this week at the Royal Melbourne Show, at the Spotlight Inspiration Space, showing people how to make cushion covers. I promised a free tutorial on my blog, so here it is (sorry - a day later than planned!).

The method I chose was one that hid a multitude of sins if a beginner were to give it a go. There is a zipper, but it's well-hidden beneath a wide overlap of fabric. And of course, I included tips to make the whole process a lot easier and faster than you'd think. And of course, I used fusible/hemming tape (I always use fusible tape).

YOU WILL NEED

1 x Square cushion insert (any size)
1 x dress zipper - at least 10cm (4'') longer than the cushion insert
Hemming tape/fusible tape/cut a strip of Vliesofix (Bondaweb)
Thread to match back fabric (see below)

Fabric -
FRONT- Cut a square of fabric 4 to 5cm (1.5 '' to 2'') longer and wider than the cushion insert.
Eg. For a 41 x 41cm cushion insert, I cut a 45 x 45cm square of fabric.

BACK - Cut fabric same width as front, but cut length 7cm (a little less than 3'') longer. (Length doesn't have to be a very accurate 7cm measurement - a little more or less wont hurt).

HOW TO MAKE THE CUSHION COVER

1. On the back fabric, divide the length (including the extra 7cm) into thirds. Round this measurement to the nearest centimetre or half-inch, and cut 1/3 from one end of the backing fabric.

2. On the bigger piece (we'll call it the bottom piece) of the backing fabric, lay the zipper face down along the cut edge. Align the edge of the zipper tape with the edge of the fabric, with the end stopper of the zipper at least 2cm (3/4'') from the side edge of the fabric. The head of the zipper should be hanging off the other end of the fabric.

3. Using a zipper foot, stitch the zipper to the fabric.

4. Turn the zipper to the right side, and all the seam allowances will fold underneath the fabric side of this seam. Topstitch along the edge of the fabric - about 2mm (a generous 1/16'') from the seam.

5. With right sides of fabric together, place the smaller piece (we'll call it the top) over the zipper. Align the cut edge of the fabric and the zipper tape, and check that the side edges of the smaller and larger pieces align on both side seam edges. Stitch the zipper tape into place along the fabric edge.

6. Place the square front piece on the table and then place the back (zippered) piece over the top, right side facing up. Align the bottom edge of the back with the bottom edge of the front and smooth the back piece over.

7. Now align the top edge of the back piece with the top edge of the front, allowing the extra fullness to fall over the zipper area.

Use your hands - and then an iron - to flatten this fullness into an overlap over the zipper. If your fabric is in any way delicate, use a pressing cloth under the iron when you press.

8. Fold back the top piece so that you can see the seam where it attaches to the zipper. Place hemming tape (or fuse paper-backed fusible tape, or a strip of fusible webbing) along the seam (taking care not to let it overhang the edge of the zipper tape and stick to your ironing board).

7. Fold the top of the cushion back into place and press it again. This will stick the fabric into place exactly where you need to sew it.

8. To make it easier still, feel through the fabric for the top edge of the zipper chain and run your thumbnail along, to mark a line to follow with your stitches.

9. Use a zipper foot and stitch along the thumbnail-indented line.

10. Open the zipper  little way and then align the open ends as if the zipper were closed. Stitch through the overlapped fabric, across the ends of the zipper. You can now safely trim those zipper ends off (without risking accidentally losing the zipper head).

Hurrah! you've inserted a zipper!

11. With right sides together, match the back to the front, aligning all the edges. Take one (any) side and seam it together with a 12mm (1/2 '') seam allowance, backtacking/backstitching at each end of the seam. Don't pivot and turn the corner... this is where the "neat corner" trick comes in!

12. Overlock/serge/zigzag the raw edge of the seam allowance.

If your fabric type is not likely to fray during laundering (eg, gentle handwash or dry clean only), you can skip this step, but if you are using a fabric that will be put into a washing machine, it's always a good idea to finish the seams.

13. Fold the seam over - right on the seamline - and stitch the next seam, capturing the folded seam allowance. Overlock/serge/zigzag that edge.

14. Continue folding, seaming and finishing each edge until all four sides of the cushion cover are sewn.

15. Turn through the corners:
Push your index finger right up into one of the corners, with the inside (fingerprint) facing the folded seam allowance. Fold the other seam allowance over the top of the first, and hold it with the thumb of the same hand (basically making an OK hand-sign with fabric in between).

Pinch your fingers together with the folded seam allowances in between, holding them as close to the corner point as you can, then flip the fabric through to show the right side (don't stop pinching the corner).

Voila! Sharp corners! (This works on fine fabric for collars and cuffs, too - anywhere where the build-up of bulky seams doesn't matter.)

16. Press the seams flat and then press the cushion cover.

17. Pop the cushion insert in and do up the zipper.

18. Feel a bit clever and make lots more cushion covers. Play with embellishment ideas.

And have a great weekend. xx

So.... another week whizzed by.

Fancy that.
I took some photos, but haven't had much time to write.

Last week I taught a few workshops at the Design And Technology Teacher's Association conference.  One of the workshops was in simple, effective embellishments.  My preparation for the class reminded me how much I enjoy scribbling with stitches.  These photos are both of details on A-Line Skirts, but I now also have lots of scribbly bag bits in progress, which I hope to turn into bags.

I also taught another couple of Bag in a Day classes.  We had lots of proud pocket moments on Saturday.  And pannetone and mince tarts. 

 We also saw some of the new-and-improved pattern instructions in action.  I must say, I think that the hellish job that the recent overhaul has proved to be, is absolutely worth it. 

 And I finished my winter woolly socks.....

...just in time for summer.  (Although, this is Melbourne I'm talking about - you never know what the weather might do.  I may just need them mid-January.)

The blueberry bush (thanks, Tanya) on the back porch is teasing me with the promise of fruit.  Each morning, as I water it with the remnants of the coffee pot, I WILL those berries to ripen.  So far, we still have green berries (and coffee grounds all over the leaves).

I'm afraid I don't have many words to share lately, and little time for blog reading or writing.  Real life stuff stuff keeps getting in the way.

I hope that by the end of the week, there will be a bit more order about the place, and some dust will settle after all the upheaval.   The new patterns are starting to go out to shops and fill our shelves. 

This time next week, family will begin to gather from around the country and the globe and we'll celebrate the time we have left as a complete family.  I hope to be reporting about trite small moments of Chrismas preparation happiness.  Until then, it's back to the patterns, for me.

Wobbly Wednesday

I had a lot planned for my child-free day today. They're few and far between, and time is very precious. I always plan to cram in more than is humanly possible. But I forget.... having had my brain scrambled by the rest of the week's madness always leads to hiccups in the schedule.

Today I had a lot of sewing and photographing planned but the camera battery went flat. I then "charged" it for hours with the battery upside-down.... and by the time I charged it properly the daylight had faded. It was useless trying to photograph stitch details so I faffed about taking photos of random-but-bloggable things.

..like my wee girl's brooch. She wanted to make one (like mine) with one of her paintings. We streamlined the process somewhat to suit a three-year-old's abilities. We fused the printed fabric to super-thick non-woven interfacing, cut it out and stuck a brooch back on it. An offcut was glued over the pin to secure it. Voila! A very original (and quick!) LION brooch!

AnnMarie has been making compact mirrors and GAVE me one! Super-sweet with vintage images and the perfect size for discreet poppy-seed-in-teeth checks (or lipstick applications).
The mirror has a sturdy rubber edging on it to protect it from getting broken in my handbag. I love it.

AnnMarie also brought in a few large sized self-cover buttons so I could finish my bag. I used a Joel Dewberry stripe to add that splash of red. Apart from being the only fabric in my scrap bag that matched the cream and black and also had red on it... I liked the way the Regency theme came together in a kind of modern way.

I'm a bit fascinated with the Regency period at the moment..... currently reading another amazing 18th Century woman's biography. I digress... I told you my brain was scrambled.

...

...

Soooo...... The sewing and photographing are in limbo. I've HOURS of writing work to do if I'm to call this day in any way productive. If any of you catch me leaving friendly comments around the blogosphere (or writing any more blog posts about what I should be doing) kindly point me back in the direction of the "Instructions" file on my computer.

Frayed edges

Over the Christmas holidays I played around with a bit of fabric origami. On Sunday I finally got around to trying out an idea I've had in my head since then.

Instead of the usual neat edges and precision folding, I opted for a more rustic approach - deliberately fraying linen and using the raw edges as a feature. The folding and stitching was anything BUT precise and the effect is... rustic! (But the beautiful Japanese print lifts it out of the realm of the hayseed... I think).

...so it doesn't look out of place on a black linen Evening Bag (my pattern). This bag was made using 12mm polyester boning in the strap and it has interfacing and wadding to give structure to the bag body.

I have a few other ideas to play with along the lines of origami.... can you hear my brain ticking?

On a completely different note - the wee girl and I had a lovely evening out yesterday, celebrating the launch of this book with lots of wonderful crafty types....

Well done, Pip and Co. It's a great achievement! (And sorry the wee girl talked all through the interview so nobody up the back heard a thing....).

Oh, How I love my Applique Mat...

Am I the only one who has fusible webbing that looks like this...?

If you're unfamiliar with fusible webbing and you want do any sort of textile work you should promptly introduce yourself!! It makes applique, fabric overlays and just about anything you want to hold firmly in place STAY PUT while you sew it.

It's like a huge sheet of hemming tape that you can cut to size. There are several brands on the market, and some are better at staying on their backing paper than others. The brand of the sample above is notorious for falling off the paper and tangling up. I don't think it should have been stored in a bag of interfacing scraps, somehow...

GADGET LOVE....
I love my applique mat because it allows me to use up every scrap of fusible webbing - with or without the backing paper. It helps the webbing to melt evenly over the back of the motif so that it will stick evenly to the base fabric. I can then stitch it into place without the slightest bit of movement. Lovely.

Here's how to use paper-less fusible webbing for fabulous applique!

1. Lay the webbing over the back of the fabric. (I've interfaced the fabric to stop the pattern on the base fabric from showing through). You can even use overlapped scraps of webbing to cover the fabric - nobody will ever know....

2. Lay the applique mat over the top of the fusible web and press with a hot iron.

3. Allow the fabric to cool and peel it from the mat. It will now be coated with a fusible plastic film on the underside.

4. Cut out your design - using a template, pattern or freehand cutting action (my personal fave!). You'll be surprised just how intricate a design you can create.

NOTE: For REPEAT MOTIFS you can cut templates in freezer paper and iron them to the front of the fabric while it is still attached to the mat (ie. before Step 3). When you remove the fabric from the mat, the freezer paper will be a stick-on template that you can cut around, peel off and re-use for your next applique piece.

5. With the plastic side down, iron the motif into place on your backing fabric. It will stick firmly into place.

6. You can use parts of a fabric print as applique motifs. Follow the above procedure to fuse a scrap of webbing to the wrong side of a fabric scrap....

7. Trim away the excess fabric to isolate the design you wish to applique...

8. ...and iron it into place. It will stick beautifully.

9. You can then stitch the pieces to the base fabric with a machine satin-stitch, blanket stitch or straight stitch, or you can (blow my mind with your patience and...) stitch it by hand!

I'll keep you posted on the finished applique. It's part of a WIP. The gorgeous print is from the City Blooms range by Benartex.