Seat Cushions

Today has been a day where I have a lot of creative ideas going on in my mind but have had a difficult time deciding on anything.  Usually when this happens I just spend too much time trying to make a decision that I end up not making anything at all, or I just make a list of good ideas (and then promptly lose it).  I wanted to actually have something made by the end of the day, especially since this is the one day where the baby is at Grandma's and I actually have time to start and finish a project in one sitting.  I've been wanting to make seat cushions for my new sewing chair and our computer desk chair, so I went with that.  This is my last project that I'm making for my own home for awhile, since everything from now thru April needs to be for the show. 

The first cushion I made with two fat quarters.  I wanted it to be reversible, plus I couldn't decide between two patterns, so I went with both.  For the second cushion I used a half yard from the Flower Sugar line by Lecien (purchased here). This tutorial is based on the half yard piece.  I pre-washed all fabrics, which I don't normally do for home dec projects--I decided to just so I wouldn't have to worry about any dyes rubbing off on our clothes.

I started by measuring the seat of the chair and cutting the fabric to that size.  I used 1/4" seam allowances and wanted the finished cushion to measure slightly smaller than the actual seat.  To save time, and to make sure my pieces aligned exactly, I folded the fabric in half with right sides together and cut. 

Next I cut 2 pieces of ribbon (I used 3/8" width) to use as ties for securing the seat to the chair.  The length of ribbon will depend on the size of the sides of your chair, so use that as a guide before you cut.  It's best to add a couple inches just to be safe since you can always shorten easily if needed.

I measured in 1" from the top corners, folded the ribbon in half lengthwise, and pinned it in place between the two layers of fabric. 

I pinned around all sides, leaving about 4" open at one end for turning and stuffing.  I decided to stuff my pillows with polyester fiberfill rather than use a pillow form.  Pillow forms come in squares and I needed a rectangle, plus they are a bit thick and puffy for a chair cushion.  I bought a 20 oz. bag of stuffing and barely used half of it for both pillows.

I sewed around all edges, turned right-side-out, ironed, then stuffed (make sure to get the corners well and pull the stuffing apart before you stuff to minimize lumps).  I hand-sewed the opening shut and tied to my chair.  Done!  Both pillows, including hand sewing, took a total of about an hour (not counting the time someone insisted on playing Frisbee outside right now). 

I love this fabric.  The pattern is a little hard to work with and I found that a cushion was the perfect use for it to show off the whole design. 

Happy Tuesday!

~Stacy