Ever wanted something bright and cheerful to add to your bedroom for a small amount of money? Well I believe cushions are always a great answer. I am a sucker for a pretty cushion, which is why my bed is currently covered in loads of mismatched cushions. But the problem is with them, is the fact that they can cost anything from £10-£100 for just one cushion. Because of this I decided why not make my own for a smaller cost.
To make my cushions I first had to choose my own decorative material, and what better place to search than eBay. After many minutes of searching, I came across a bundle of fat quarters (materials measuring a quarter of a meter) in a bright and floral pattern. This bundle included four square fat quarters in blue, green, red, and white for just £7.
When the materials had finally arrived at my door, I then set out to make two square cushions using two colours of fabric for each cushion. To do this, I first drew out my square template onto a bit of newspaper. I then cut this out and pinned it onto each bit of individual fabric where I then cut around the stencil to create my four pieces of square fabric.
Next, I chose which colours would look best together. In my case I used the red and white fabric for one cushion, and the blue and green fabric for the second cushion. This is now where I had to pin the pieces of fabric together around the edges, but making sure that the patterns are inside out, or in other words having the patterns facing each other. This made sure that the sewing lines I was about to sew will be on the inside of the cushion.
Now it is time to get the sewing machine out and just simply sew a straight line down each of the cushions edges. But when it came to the last edge, I left about a quarter of the side left un-sewn. By doing this allowed myself to pull the material through the hole so that the material is no longer inside out and instead looking more like a cushion cover as the seams are now no longer seen as they are inside the cushion.
Before I sewed the last quarter of the cushion edge, I had to fill the cushion with stuffing. You can either buy this from a craft shop and online, or like me just use the stuffing from an old cushion that is no longer used. Now, after the cushions is fully stuffed, it is time to sew up the hole. For this part I simply just bent over the edges so that the frayed ends are inside the cushion, and then just hand sewn across the hole. I did this part really quick so it does not look the best, but if you are looking to make a better looking stitch then I recommend you google how to sew an invisible stitch.
And there you have it, you now have two new cushions in less than an hour. I know this is not the proper way to make a good quality cushion, but for someone with little money and little time on their hands, this is the best way to achieve a good looking cushion. Plus, doing it this way will make it easier for those who do not have any sewing experience.
If you feel like you may want to wash or swap the cushion covers over time, then it may be best to add a fastening in somewhere, such as a zip or buttons. But I obviously did not show you this as adding fastenings do add on time.
If you do have any material left over then why don't you try and think up of something else to make. In my case I had plenty left to make some pretty bunting which I proudly hung up in my boring University room. But you could also use it to make a patchwork, a purse, baby clothing, hand puppets, or a bookmark.
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