VELVET CUSHION
YOU WILL NEED
■ White cotton fabric: one (1)
fat quarter
■ Yellow velvet fabric: ¾yd
■ Blue velvet fabric: one (1)
fat eighth
■ Pink linen fabric: one (1)
fat eighth
■ Fusible woven interfacing: ½yd ■ Pre-made bias binding: 1yd
FINISHED SIZE
■ Approx 17in
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are ¼in,
unless otherwise stated.
■ Press seams open, unless
otherwise instructed.
■ RST = right sides together.
■ WST = wrong sides together.
■ QST = Quarter-square Triangle.
FABRICS USED
■ Fabrics are all from Paula’s stash.
CUTTING OUT
From the white cotton fabric cut: 1
■ Four (4) 4½in squares.
■ Two (2) 6in squares.
From the blue velvet fabric cut: 2
■ Two (2) 6in squares.
From the yellow velvet fabric cut: 3
■ Two (2) 17½in x 13in (backing). ■ Two (2) 12in squares.
From the pink linen fabric cut: 4
■ One (1) 4½in square.
PREPARATION
Following the manufacturer’s
5 instructions, apply interfacing to the wrong side of all the white cotton squares and the pink linen square.
MAKING THE QUARTER-SQUARE TRIANGLES
Using a ruler, draw a diagonal line 6 from corner to corner on one of the white 6in squares. Place the marked fabric square RST with the 6in blue velvet square and clip in place to avoid disturbing the pile (Fig A).
Sew ¼in away from both sides
7 of the marked line. You will be sewing two lines in total. Once you have carefully sewn the two lines, cut along the central line you drew. Finger press the seams towards the velvet and open them out to finish the two HSTs (Fig B).
Using a ruler and a fabric marker, 8 draw a neat diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of one of the HST units, going straight across the seam line.
Place the marked fabric RST 9
with the second HST, making
sure that the white cotton fabric on each HST is matched with the blue velvet fabric on each HST. The seams on the back of the HSTs will be nested, meaning they will be facing different ways (Fig C). Don’t worry if the velvet has moved and your HSTs are different sizes at this point. There is a lot of trimming room to take account of this.
Sew ¼in away from both sides 10
of the marked line. You will be sewing two lines in total. Once you have sewn the two lines, carefully cut along the central line that you previously drew and open out the squares. You now have two QSTs.
Line up the central point of the 11
QST (where the seams cross) with the 2¼in measurement on the ruler (Fig D). Trim the right-hand and top edges of the QST to neaten up. Rotate the block and realign the centre points to trim the remaining two sides, for a 4½in square.
Repeat the process in steps 6–11 12
for a total of four QSTs.
CONSTRUCTING THE CUSHION TOP
Arrange the QSTs with the
13 remaining 4½in squares of fabric, referring to Fig E. Sew together into three rows of three and then sew the rows together to finish centre block.
Take the two 12in yellow velvet 14
squares and cut each in half diagonally once so that you have a total of four large triangles. Place the first triangle RST with the top of the centre block, lining up the top raw edges and making sure the point is central (Fig F). Sew carefully along the top and then open out.
Repeat the same process to 15
add the second triangle on the opposite side. Trim the side points of the triangle flush with the central block. Add the remaining two triangles to the sides of the block.
Once the triangles are sewn in, 16
trim the whole cushion top back so that the points of the centre block are ¼in away from outer edge. This should be approx 17½in square.
FINISHING THE CUSHION
Apply a piece of binding to
17
one long edge of each backing piece to finish the edges. Place the backing pieces RST with the cushion top. Align the raw edges around the outside of the cushion, with the bound edges overlapping in the centre. Make sure that the top backing piece is laid down before the bottom backing piece.
Pin or clip in place around the 18
outer edges, within the seam allowance. Sew around the outer edge of the cushion. Then turn the cushion cover right sides out and place a cushion inside to finish.