POCKET FULL OF POSIES

For a statement cushion, look no further than this English Paper Pieced ring design with fussy cut curves – it's easier than you think!

YOU WILL NEED

Makes one (1) cushion

■ Three (3) fat quarters

■ Background fabric: 20in square

■ Batting: 23in square

■ Binding fabric: one (1) fat quarter

■ Lining fabric: one (1) 23in square

■ Backing fabric: ½yd

■ Embroidery thread (optional)

■ One (1) 20in zip

■ Three (3) copies each of Templates A, B and C

FINISHED SIZE ■ 18in square

NOTES

■ EPP = English Paper Piecing.

■ WOF = width of fabric.

■ Louisa starched her fabrics with Mary Ellen’s Best Press.

■ Templates don’t include seam allowance.

■ For templates, see p87.

FABRICS USED

■ Prints fabrics are from the Dovestone collection from Dashwood Studios.

■ Background is an Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in Graphite from Robert Kaufman.

FRAME YOUR APPLIQUÉ EPP PIECES WITH NEAT LINES OF KANTHA QUILTING

CUTTING OUT

1

From the backing fabric cut:

■ One (1) 9in x 18½in piece.

■ One (1) 14in x 18½in piece.

2

From the binding fabric cut:

■ Five (5) 2¼in x 22in strips.

3 Trace Template A onto template plastic. Add a in seam allowance around the outer edge and cut along this line. Repeat with Templates B and C.

4 Position the plastic templates on the fabric, framing the print (Fig A). Draw around the plastic template and cut out with scissors. Using your template pieces, cut the following for each cushion:

■ Fabric one: three (3) Template A pieces.

■ Fabric two: three (3) Template B pieces.

■ Fabric three: three (3) Template C pieces.

PREPARING YOUR EPP SEGMENTS

5 Baste the fabric pieces around the paper templates. Use a dab of glue to centre the paper piece on the reverse of the fabric. Run glue along the edge of the paper and press over the seam allowance. For inner curves, snip the fabric within the seam allowance to about two threads from the paper’s edge, before gluing in place (Fig B). For outer curves, gently pull the fabric down into place to create a smooth curved with no sharp points (Fig C). Repeat this basting for all English Paper Piecing shapes (Fig D).

SEWING YOUR ROUNDS

6 Take one Template B and one Template C. Place them face down with curved edges adjacent to each other. With knotted thread, bring your needle up through the seam allowance of Template C, backstitch to secure, then sew across to the point on Template B (Fig E). Sew a couple of stitches over these two seam allowances to secure, bringing the thread through the loop of the last stitch to knot, and break the thread.

7 Now move to the other end of the curve and connect the two points as before. Keeping the pieces flat, sew a flat whip stitch along the seam to attach the two shapes, (Fig F). Continue, until you reach the other end, and knot off your thread (Fig G).

8 Place a Template A adjacent to your sewn unit, lining up that marked guideline with the sewn seam (Fig H). This is to make sure you have the correct curvature when sewing your pieces into a round. Baste together at this point, as in step 6.

9 Secure your thread at the bottom point of Template A. Gently peel back the seam allowance along the bottom of Template C to reveal another drawn guideline. Sew across seam allowances, connecting the shapes and lining up the guidelines (Fig I).

10 Sew these units together using a flat whip stitch (Figs J and K). Repeat steps

6–9 to make three identical segments. Join the segments together to make a round, using the guidelines, as before.

11 Spray your sewn unit with a gentle fabric starch and press with a dry, hot iron. Carefully pull back the seam allowances and remove the papers. Press again, being careful to keep the outer edges smooth.

ASSEMBLING THE CUSHION FRONT

12 Fold your background fabric lengthwise and gently press, open out and repeat, folding the fabric widthwise to mark the centre. Fold your sewn round in half down the length and gently finger press the top and bottom points to mark the centre, and align with the background fabric (Fig L). Unfold, align the horizontal mark with the intersecting seams and pin in place (Fig M).

13 Starting along the inner edge, appliqué the round to the background fabric using a tiny slip stitch (Fig N). Then appliqué the outer edge. Tuck any dog ears underneath as you sew.

QUILTING

14 Gently press the cushion top. Make a quilt sandwich by placing the lining fabric down, then the batting on top, then the cushion panel right side up. The lining and batting are slightly larger than the cushion panel. Baste together using your preferred method.

15 Quilt as desired. Louisa hand quilted ¼in inside the edge of each shape, then added an arc shape within the Template A shape and a large leaf shape within the Template B/C units. She also hand quilted parallel lines of stitching around the inner and outer edges of the whole round, using three strands of light coloured embroidery thread. Trim the cushion front to 18½in square, cutting away any excess batting and lining around the edges.

CONSTRUCTING THE CUSHION

16 Press under 1in along one long edge of your 9in x 18½in backing piece. Press under 1in again to enclose the raw edge. Repeat along one long edge of your 14in x 18½in piece, pressing under ½in each time.

17 Place your zip face up with the opening to the right, and lay the 14in backing piece on top so that the folded edge of the hem sits just under the zip’s teeth. Pin in place and using your zipper foot on the machine, sew about an 1/8in below the zip’s teeth (Fig O).

18 Take the 9in backing piece, unfold the pressed hem once, and line the folded edge up with the top of the zip, RST (Fig P). Pin in place and stitch about an 1/8in away from the other side of the teeth.

19 Refold the 9in backing piece so it lays over the zip closing, insert pins vertically along the seam (Fig Q) and sew along the top side of the zip’s teeth again, as you did in step 17. Get as close to the zip’s teeth as you can so you catch the fabric underneath. This will create a small flap over the zip, neatly concealing it in the back panel.

20 Open the zip about halfway and lay the backing face down. Place the cushion panel on top, face up, pin and sew around the edge. Trim any excess seam allowance and zip ends.

21 Sew the binding strips together end-to-end using diagonal seams. Press the seams open and trim the dog ears. Fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. Sew the binding to the

right side of the cushion, folding a mitre at each corner. Fold the binding over to the back and hand stitch in place to finish.