CUSHION

YOU WILL NEED Print fabrics: one (1) fat quarter each of five (5) different prints Solid fabrics: one (1) fat quarter each of three (3) different colours Background fabric: 25in square Backing fabric: 25in square Batting: 26in square Calico: 26in square Zip: 16in long FINISHED SIZE 24in square approx NOTES RST = right sides together. WOF = width of fabric. WST = wrong sides together. For templates, see p89. Fabric supplied by Sewmotion (sewmotion.com) FABRICS USED Print fabrics are from the Cotton Candy collection by Susan Driscoll for Dashwood Studio. Solid fabrics are Bright Pink and Candy Green from the Kona Cotton Solids collection by Robert Kaufman. Background fabric is Essex Yarn Dyed Linen by Robert Kaufman. PREPARATION Trace twenty-one (21) of the part hexie templates and twenty-one (21) of the crescent templates onto paper. Cut out the shapes neatly. CUTTING OUT From each of the five prints two (2) 4in x WOF strips. From each of the five solid fabrics cut two (2) 2 in x WOF strips. MAKING THE PART-HEXIES Take one 4in print strip and place it wrong side up. Take one part-hexie paper template and lightly glue it onto the wrong side of the fabric strip. Trim around the part-hexie, leaving a in seam allowance all around the shape (Fig A). Lightly glue along the seam allowance of one short straight edge and then fold the fabric over onto the paper template. Hold it in place for the glue to adhere (Fig B). Repeat step 5 with the next straight edge and continue in the same way until you reach the curved edge (Fig C). Snip into the seam allowance of the curved edge, stopping just before the edge of the paper template. Lightly glue along the curved edge of the paper and

gently fold the fabric over onto the paper to create a smooth curve (Fig D).

8 Repeat steps 4–7 to make four part-hexies from each of four prints and five from the fifth print, making twenty-one part-hexies in total.

MAKING THE CRESCENTS

9 Take one 2 in solid strip and place it wrong side up. Take one crescent paper template and lightly glue it to the wrong side of the fabric. Trim around the crescent, leaving a in seam allowance all around the shape (Fig E).

10 Lightly glue along the seam allowance of both straight edges and then fold the fabric over onto the paper template to stick them in place. With the curved edge, apply glue to the paper template and then gently fold the fabric over – push the fabric away from the edge as you go to create a smooth curve without any sharp points (Fig F).

11 Repeat steps 9–10 to make seven crescents from each of the three solids, making twenty-one crescents in total.

PIECING THE HEXAGON PANEL

12 Arrange the part-hexies and crescent shapes as shown (Layout diagram).

FLAT WHIPSTITCH IS IDEAL FOR SEWING CURVED PIECES – TAKE A LOOK ONLINE FOR A DEMO

13 Take one part-hexie shape and one adjacent crescent shape. Place both right side down with the curved edges together. Sew a couple of stitches at both ends of the curve to hold the two pieces together (Fig G).

14 Draw two or three pencil marks at regular intervals across the join and then sew over them – this will help you keep the two pieces aligned as you sew them together (Fig H).

15 Sew the two shapes together, keeping the pieces flat and using a flat whipstitch (Fig I). As you sew along the seam, keep checking that the pencil marks are lined up. You may have to gently pull the crescent piece towards you a little to keep it in line. When you reach the end of the seam, secure and cut the thread to finish one complete hexagon (Fig J).

16 Repeat steps 13–15 with the remaining part hexie and crescent shapes to make a total of twenty-one complete hexagons.

17 Take three adjacent hexagons where the crescent shapes meet in the centre (Fig K). Take two of the hexagons and place them RST, using a small clip to hold them in place along the edge that needs to be joined. Make sure that you place a clip where the seams of the two crescents meet (Fig L). Sew together along the clipped edge using a tiny whipstitch.

18 Take the third hexagon. Gently fold the pieced hexagon unit and place it RST with the third hexagon, with the edges that need to be joined facing each other. Sew them together using a tiny whipstitch. Repeat with the final edge to finish the first grouped hexagon unit (Fig M).

19 Repeat steps 18–19 to make a total of seven grouped hexagon units. Sew these units together to complete the hexagon panel.

COMPLETING THE CUSHION FRONT

20 Gently press the hexagon panel from the right side, with the papers still in

place, taking particular care with the edges to make sure that you will have a crisp folded edge once the papers are removed. Remove the papers.

21 Place the background square right side up and then place the hexagon panel centrally on top. Pin and then slip stitch in place. Press the cushion top well.

22 Make a quilt sandwich by layering the calico square, the batting and then the cushion top centrally on top. The backing and batting are slightly larger than the quilt top. Baste the layers together using your preferred method.

23 Quilt as desired. Louisa hand quilted in inside the edge of each hexagon, then added an arc shape within each one. She also quilted concentric circles in each of the crescent circle shapes and finished with

two lines of echo quilting all around the hexagon panel.

24 Keeping the hexagon panel centred, trim the cushion top to 24in square. Note that the hexagon panel is not square, so make sure that you measure from the middle of the panel out to keep it centred. The top and bottom background fabric edges are narrower than the side ones.

CONSTRUCTING THE CUSHION

25 Take the cushion back square and place it right side. Cut two (2) 8in x 2in rectangles from one of the leftover prints. WST, fold each rectangle in half widthways and press to make the zip ends.

27 RST, place the zip unit on top of the cushion back. Align the top long edges of the zip ends with the top edge of the cushion back – the top long edge of the zip will be about in down from the top edge of the cushion back. Pin in place (Fig O). Sew along the upper long edge of the zip to secure it in place.

26 Centre the zip alongside one edge of the cushion back. Place the zip ends centrally over each end of the zip, with the folds nearest the centre so that the short raw edges are aligned with the side edges of the cushion back. Pin the zip ends in place (Fig N). Sew down each fold to join the zip ends to the zip.

28 Repeat step 27 to join the other edge of zip unit to the quilted cushion front.

29 Right sides up, open out the cushion back/zip/cushion front. Make sure that the seam allowance of the cushion back is underneath the cushion back and that the seam allowance of the cushion front is underneath the cushion front, then press. With the zip closed, topstitch along each side of the zipper, securing the seam allowances of the cushion back and cushion front in place (Fig P).

30 Open the zip, then refold the cushion back/zip/cushion front so that the cushion back and cushion front are RST and all the raw edges match up. Pin in place. Sew around the three raw edges. Clip the corners, then turn the cushion cover right side out.

31 Insert the cushion pad and then close the zip to finish.