Crafty Cushions
Adding woolly and fluffy textures to your home
Simple knitted cushions Want to add some woolly, knitted warmth to your lounge – or to your favourite lounging chair? A super-simple and cost-effective way to do this is by upcycling existing knitted garments. Start by having a rummage through your jumper drawer for woollens you no longer wear, or make a trip to your local op shop to see what you can find. Consider the colour scheme you want, then match various complementary jumper materials together or add in some remnant fabric from the bargain bin at your favourite fabric store. You might choose a linen in a matching shade or contrast the knit material with a silky satin. Old velvet jackets are another source of warm, soft fabric to match with your woollies.
Step-by- step guide
Step 1 Lay your woollen garment out flat and decide how big you intend the cushion to be. You may wish to match the size to a cushion inner. Depending on the size of your jumper, you may be able to get two or three cushion sides from the one garment. If the wool has been hand-knitted you may be able to unpick the thread holding the sides together. If not, pin a line to mark where you want to cut and sew two close lines of zigzag on either side of the pins. Cut between the zigzag lines. This stops the knitting fraying.
Step 2 Lay your woollen "fabric" out flat and pin on any extra fabric as necessary to fit the size and shape you wish your cushion to be. Use your pins to mark straight edges and square corners as a guide to sew along.
Step 3 Choose a backing fabric (I used a matching linen) and cut two pieces the same size as your woollen square. Zigzag along one edge and fold this edge over twice to create a large flap. Iron flat. Repeat with the second piece of backing fabric. Lay out the woollen square right side up. Place the two pieces of backing fabric on top, right side down, with the two fabric flaps overlapping in the middle.
Step 4 Pin together and sew along all four edges, removing the pins as you go.
Step 5 Trim any extra fabric, including snipping across the corners. Zigzag along all four seams.
Step 6 Turn your cushion cover the right way around and stuff with your inner. Trim off any loose threads and you are done!
Crochet blanket
Create this crochet blanket using the triple crochet technique. We used four bumps of two ply white yarn, with a 28mm hook.
Step 1 To begin with, create your foundation chain to 1.3m wide and chain a few extra stitches to make up the turning chain.
Step 2 Yarn over the hook twice and insert your hook in the 5th chain from the hook.
Step 3 Yarn over the hook, and gently pull the wrapped hook through the centre of the chain stitch, carrying the wrapped yarn through the stitch.
Step 4 Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the first two loops on your hook.
Step 5 Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the next two loops on your hook.
Step 6 Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the last two loops on your hook.
Step 7 Yarn over twice and insert your hook in the next chain of the foundation chain. This step finishes the row.
Step 8 Work one triple crochet in each successive chain across the foundation chain.
Step 9 Turn your work to start on row 2. Crochet to your desired length. We crocheted to a length of 1.3m.