LUDLOW QUILT AND SEW
PatchworkCushion Covers
Patchwork Cushion Covers
Christmas is nearly upon us again. It seems only yesterday that I took down last year's tree and packed away the decorations.
When the children were younger I would stay up half the night wrapping presents for them - different wrapping paper for presents from Santa so that they didn't pick up on the fact that he used the same paper as I did - and making crackers, doing everything I could to make the perfect Christmas.
Now that they are older I can relax at Christmas, enjoy having them home for a while, and truly celebrate Christmas. Perhaps it's also that I am older and realise that fun is better than perfect.
Many thanks to all of you who have sent in suggestions. I have added instructions for oven gloves to match your tea cosy in the free pattern section, and also a brilliant idea for a clove scented teapot stand sent to me by Sue. Many thanks, Sue. Thanks also to Marcie for the great suggestion of boiled wool mittens. I couldn't include all the patterns on this page or it would take forever to download to your computers, so to see all these patterns, click on free patterns.
Next month's project will be things for babies: special request from Fatima who lives in India and whose daughter is due to give birth to twins. Keep those suggestions coming in!
As promised, this month's project is cushion covers.
This cushion cover is the simplest form to make with an envelope style backing. More complicated styles with zips and things can wait for another time.
The front of the cushion cover is made entirely from 2.1/2" squares. There are 9 rows and 9 columns making an 18" square.
I used 5 dark blue squares, 16 yellow squares, 16 pink squares, 12 white squares, 14 light blue squares, 16 red squares. The design is loosely based on an Amish design called Sunshine and Shadow. You will also need an 18.1/2" wide strip of fabric for the patchwork panel backing and the cushion cover backing and an 18" cushion pad. I usually buy mine from Dunelm.
Normally I would recommend starting at the top lefhand corner, sewing each row together and then sewing the rows together, but in this case I felt safer starting with the middle row and sewing the rows above and below it. That way I could check each time that I had sewn the colours together in the right order across each row.
Iron each row with all the seams facing in one direction and then check when sewing the rows together that the seams of one row face in the opposite direction to the seams of the other row. This makes your seams less bulky. Pin each seam before sewing the rows together. That way you can keep the seams facing the way you want them to and also keep each square in line with the ones above and below it.
For the backing, take the 18.1/2" strip and cut 1 length of 18.1/2" to make a square for the patchwork panel backing. Cut the remaining length in half to give 2 pieces approximately 18.1/2" by 12" for the cushion cover backing.
Sew the square piece to the back of the patchwork panel. I used a few straight lines running along the seams of the patchwork. For a more complex design you could quilt it with a design to suit.
Now take the 2 remaining pieces of backing and along one of the long edges of each one turn under a small hem then turn under again so that the raw edge is completely protected. Stitch close to the edge. I have used white thread so that it will show up on the photo. With right sides together, place one of the panels across the lower half of the patchwork panel with the hemmed edge across the middle.
Place the other panel across the top of the patchwork panel, overlapping the bottom panel by about 6". This will create the envelope section for you to insert the cushion pad.
Sew right round the perimeter of the panel, turn the cushion cover right side out through the opening in the middle, gently push the corners out and insert cushion pad.
Having mastered the basics of making a cushion cover, you can repeat the process using any design you choose for the patchwork panel. This one was made using 3 strips of 2.1/2" fabric sewn together and then cut into lengths - 2 lengths of 18.1/2" and 3 lengths of 6.1/2". There is an 18.1/2" length running down each side and the centre panel is made of three 6.1/2" lengths sewn together lengthwise. You will need two 2.1/2" strips of each fabric.
This cushion cover was made using the hourglass quilt block enlarged to an 18.1/2" square. An alternative would have been to make four 9" hourglass blocks.
You'll find the hourglass quilt block in the quilt block directory.
A simple 9 patch quilt block lends itself to cushion covers. These shown were made using first 2 colours, then 3, then 4 and 5 colours. The squares are again 2.1/2", so each block is 6" square. These 4 would make a 12" cushion cover, or you could use 9 blocks to make an 18" cushion cover.
Simply sew 3 squares together to make each row and then sew the rows together.
A neat trick you can do with 9 patch blocks is cut them in half either vertically or along the diagonal, then swap halves with another block and sew them back together again.
You can make designs that look quite complex but weren't at all difficult to make. Just bear in mind that the extra cut affects the size of the overall block because of the extra seam.
I hope you all have a wonderful (and relaxing) Christmas. It's always worth keeping a selection of hand sewing projects handy for those moments when you want to collapse and recuperate.
Best Wishes
Rose
rose@ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk
www.ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk