Monday Morning - Creating New a New Product

Tools of the trade: fabric, cutter, tape and ruler, and coffee...

Working from home can lead to some blurring of boundaries between home life and work life, especially with a creative business. I have spent the past year turning my hobbies and passions into a job so knowing when my work day ends and my relaxing time begins can be tricky to decide.

My plan for 2019 is to make a plan and stick to it; to focus my energy on those essential projects that will meet the demands of my little shop. All too often my personal passion for creating and helping others to invent their perfect item leaves me working furiously on a series on one-offs while my ‘to do’ list gets ever longer.

This year I am starting as I mean to go on by ticking off those essential items that have been waiting patiently for so long! Last year I made a series of bedding sets which sold out so quickly, I knew straight away that hand made bedding with interesting designs were in demand yet I never quite found time to plan, design, and create a new range.

This beautiful grey song birds motif cotton is perfect for the bedroom, I am beginning with a duvet cover set and I will be working on a range of other bedroom textiles to match; bed runners, throw pillows, curtains, etc., all to be added to my ‘Home’ shop in the weeks to come.

Once I have the patterns made and I have tested these patterns I can start the next exciting part of the process - hunting for fabrics. Choosing fabric is such a personal thing, I try to look for two things - something I would love to have in my home and, secondly, something that I know I would see in a friend’s home and be envious of! The best part of creating for others is being able to use fabrics and materials that you would never choose for your own home or your own wardrobe; pushing boundaries and hoping that your clients will fit neatly within those boundaries.

So that’s my Monday morning planning / thought session. Updates on my new bedding sets will follow. In the meantime I would love to hear from other creatives about your process, SJ.

Sew Your Own ... Cushion Cover - Beginner's Sewing Pattern

Making your own cushions is a great project to personalise your space and using an envelope opening makes this project really quick and easy. If you have a sewing machine you should be able to produce a cushion over in around 30 minutes. 

You will need: 

• a cushion (mine is 18" square)

• your chosen fabric

• matching thread

• pencil or fabric chalk

• long ruler / tape measure

• sharp scissors / rotary cutter

• iron & ironing board at the ready

Your fabric

I have chosen to use this floral linen which has a bold and colourful design. The fabric has a big repeat and I want to make sure that the front on my cushion has the colourful pattern and the reverse has the grey pattern.

If you have a pattern on your fabric make sure that you consider the direction and size of the pattern when you are measuring & cutting. 

Step 1 - Measuring & cutting

This pattern uses a single piece of fabric so you will need to calculate the length of your fabric to cover the front and back and the overlapping opening sections. This is your calculation:

Width of cushion = x

Length of cushion = y

Width of fabric = x + ½" + ½" - this gives you the width to cover the cushion plus a 1/2" seam allowance on either side.  

Length of fabric = y + (2/3 of y +1") + (2/3 of y + 1") - this gives you the length to cover your cushion plus two sections to cover the reverse which overlap by 1/3 of the length of the cushion. In my example my cushion is 18" square so my piece of fabric is 19" x 44", i.e.

Width = 18” + ½" + ½" = 19”

Length = 18 + ( (18 ÷ 3) x 2) + 1” + ( (18 ÷ 3) x 2) + 1” = 18” + 12” + 1” + 12” + 1” = 44”

Step 2 – Hemming the short ends

The short ends are hemmed to give a nice neat finish to the envelope opening and to stop the fabric from fraying.

Fold the edge over by ½” and press. Fold the edge over by ½” again enclosing the first fold, and press. You have now folded over 1" in total from each of the short ends. 

Sew a neat line along the open edge to fix the hem in place. You can use a matching thread or something contrasting, in my example I have used white thread.

Once both short ends are hemmed press the piece again.

Step 3 – Making the envelope

Lie your piece of fabric face down and measure along the long edge from the hemmed edge. Measure 2/3 of the length of your cushion and mark a line, this line indicates where you will make your fold. Repeat this at the other end of your fabric. My cushion is 18" so 2/3 of this is 12". I measured and marked my line 12" from the hem running parallel to the hem. 

Place your fabric right side up and fold each end towards the centre, rights sides together, along the new lines that you have drawn. Your ends will overlap by 1/3 the length of your cushion. In my example the ends overlap by 6" which is a third of my cushion length.

Align the edges of your fabric and pin in place securely, ready to sew.

Sew along the long edges using a ½” seam, focus on the very edges of the fabric and the join between the two over-lapping ends to ensure a really secure seam. I use the reverse function on my sewing machine to stitch over the edges several times. 

Step 4 – Finishing

Turn your cushion cover right side out and press. Make sure to really turn out the corners so they are nice and square.

That’s it! Your cushion is finished and ready to display proudly! You can really make this project your own; why not try adding some buttons to the reverse to secure the opening and add some colour?