Sew a set of stylish chair cushions - part 1*

How to make a set of easy to sew geometric chair cushions 

Is your dining table a bit like mine, basically storage for things that have no other home? We do eat our dinner there every night (except for Friday sofa and pizza nights, obvs) but it's usually next to a pile of unopened letters, keys and general stuff. It's definitely the unloved corner of our open plan living room and features absolutely no colour. So, for my first make as part of the Sew Crafty design team I'm going to make a set of chair cushions! Not only will they brighten up the space, but will be comfy to sit on too.
For my four chair cushions I'm planning two geometric cushions, a tartan one and a patchwork one to create a mix and match look. In this post discover how to make the two geometric cushions and in the next installments I'll show you how to make the patchwork and tartan cushions.

How to choose your fabrics  Stick to three main colours When selecting fabric for mix and match cushions, the easiest way to start is to choose your colour palette. Mine is dark and light blues with a pop of yellow, which are the colours found in the rest of our living room decor. 
Mix pattern sizes For the most complementary look try mixing pattern sizes. A large pattern, medium or small pattern and a plain in your chosen colours will always work well together. Because I already have a large pattern on our sofa cushions, I've stuck to a medium pattern, a small pattern and plain fabric for my cushions. 
You will need Fabrics, mine are all from Sew Crafty: Cotton chambre Dashwood flurry cotton in teal Rustic spot linen square in natural/blue spot Threads Ribbon Tracing paper Pencil  Tape measure Sewing machine Pins Scissors Pom pom trim 4 x large pom poms (or wool and a pom pom maker) Cushion pads – mine are 41cm x 41cm

How to make cushion 1: 1. To create your pattern draw a 38cm square onto the tracing paper. If your cushion pads are a different size to mine, just make the square a few centimeters smaller that your cushion to make it nice and fitted. Then draw out your triangles and cut up. 

2. This way of making your pattern doesn't include a seam allowance, so pin your pattern to your fabric and mark a 1.5cm seam allowance around each piece, and then cut out.

3. Pin and sew your two smaller triangles together, leaving a 1.5cm seam allowance.

4. Pin and sew your large triangle to the two little ones, again leaving a 1.5cm seam allowance. 

5. Press your seams open, you may need to cut some of the bulk out of the seams where the points meet. 
6. The cushion backs are envelope style. Cut two fabric pieces, both 41cm wide x 33cm high. Then on one long edge of each piece pin and sew a 1.5cm seam allowance. 

7. Cut four pieces of ribbon, long enough to reach from your cushion and tie around your chair back - I tested mine against my chair and made them 30cm long. 
8.Next you'll need your four pom-poms, either shop brought or handmade. If you're using a pom-pom maker you can find my tutorial here. Make sure to leave the tails of your pom-pom fairly long.
9. Lay your two back pieces on top of each other with right sides facing up.

10. Then lay your pom-poms on each corner - again facing in, with the long tails positioned so they will get caught in your seam. Next lay your cushion ties in place, at this point it's a good idea to go and test against your chair again to make sure they're in the right position.

11. Finally lay your cushion front on top, right side facing down, pin and sew a 1.5cm seam allowance all the way around the edge.

Turn the right way and fill with a cushion pad!

How to make cushion 2: Repeat steps 1-7 but drawing the second pattern on the tracing paper.
Skip to step 9, then lay your pom pom trim around the edge of the cushion, with the pom poms facing inwards. Be sure to position it so that the ribbon will be caught in your seam. Pin your cushion ties in place too.

Before adding your cushion front it’s a good idea to baste the pom poms in place. Use your zipper foot to make it easier.
Then pin and place the cushion front on top, right side in and sew your 1.5cm seam.

And there you have cushion two.

Even with only two out of the four done, they've made such a difference to our dining space (one day I'll paint that pine table white too). Discover part 2 - the tartan cushion and part 3 - the patchwork cushion.
*some of the materials for this project were supplied by Sew Crafty, but all tutorials and opinions are my own :)



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