How to make a cushion cover

from Elna sewing machines

A cushion cover is one of the easiest things you can make if you're willing to do a bit of sewing and stick in a zip. And it's high on the kudos - everyone will see your cushion cover the minute they walk into your room and look around for somewhere to sit down. Which will happen often - people are lazy that way.

Materials

50cm2 piece of fabric (for a 40 x 40 cm cushion cover)
A 30cm zip fastener
Thread, ruler, pencil, scissors, pins, iron

Realisation

Using the pencil and ruler, draw two 40 x 40 cm squares on the underside of the fabric.

Taking care to leave a 1.5cm margin outside the line on all sides, cut out each square of fabric. You should have two squares measuring 43 x 43 cm.

Lay the squares one on top of the other, with the right sides facing one another.

Choose the edge on which you wish to position your zip (normally at the bottom of the cushion cover, if your fabric has a design), and, following the traced line, sew two 6.5 cm seams along that edge, from the outside edge of each side working inwards. You should now have a 30 cm opening in the middle of your cushion cover where you can position your zip.

Open the seams out flat and iron them down, continuing along the full length of the edge from one side to the other, including the part that has not been sewn.

Take the 30cm zip, and, right side up, tack it along the edges of the slit, so that the zip closing is facing away from you and hidden from view.

Sew the zip into place 3-5mm from the edge of the fabric using the special foot provided. Undoing the zip before you start will make positioning and sewing easier.

Once the zip is sewn in, pull the two edges back together so that they lie straight.

Pin the other edges of the fabric squares together, and sew along the traced line all the way around the rest of the cover.

Undo the zip and turn the cushion cover inside out. Give the seams a quick iron to smooth and flatten.

Fill your cushion cover with cotton wadding, or with a store-bought uncovered cushion.

Decorative hint

If you like, you can further embellish your cushion by cutting out a motif and sewing it on using an attractive appliqué stitch. The motif should be sewn on the front of the cushion cover before sewing in the zip.

Example: The featured cushion cover has a cute rabbit.

More Crafting tips

More: Indie arts and crafts
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Mookychick believes that climbing trees and riding giant turtles is more fun and girly than worrying about make-up. But if you want to worry about make-up instead of turtles? Fine by us. Be you feminist, kitten, punk, emo, indie, goth, witch, vegan, horror junky, intellectual, christian goth, corset queen, geek, unicorn, sea monkey... be you into alternative style, alternative health, spirituality, comics, manga, j-pop, harajuku or jock culture... we will always love you.