Tuesday, April 23, 2013

six cushions only took ten years. now you make some.



Nine years, eleven months, twenty-six days
to carefully think about it.
Four days to make.

I love them. My tush loves them. The girls both said, 'Wow, Mom, our chairs feel so GOOD now.' Poor kids. Looking on the bright side, I guess sitting on hard chairs may have built some character along the way. The chairs were purchased about ten years ago from Crate & Barrel and they are, in fact, pretty booty-friendly, even without the cushions. But it was time.

 I love that 'booty' is in my dictionary. 'Shake one's booty'. *snort*

Anyways, all the cushions have wild, patterned fabrics from my stash on one side,

and conservative black ticking on the other. 
I guess that kind of makes them the mullet of chair cushions.


If you want to make some similar ones, first you'll need to make a pattern from your chair similar to this:


(And there's a glimpse of my messy studio. I haven't cleaned up from cushion construction. I fling leftovers across the room as I go to keep them out of my way and off the work surface, and I honestly try to aim for the trash can with scraps, but mostly I miss. It's a pay-the-piper situation.)

As you can see, I find it helpful to make construction notes to myself directly on the pattern as I go. That way if I use the pattern again I can avoid all the really goofy mistakes I made the first go round.

Here's how to make your pattern:

1) Measure the width and depth of your chair seats and make a drawing on freezer or craft paper from your measurements. Add about an inch all round to compensate for the stuffing. You'll also need to add the 3/8 inch seam allowance (which is the same size as the flange on the piping to keep things simple for the cushion seam, but you'll use 1/2 inch allowance for the straps). Round your corners using a jar lid or coffee cup to trace around.

Now curve the straight sides slightly. I'm adding this in because I didn't do it with mine and I wish I had. Reason: after you stuff them, the cushion sides pull inward a bit. So you will do a better job than me.



2) Add holes for the button placement on your pattern as shown below. Make the holes big enough for a marker or pen to fit through. This makes it super easy to mark the placement on the right sides of the fabric at the same time that you trace and cut. (BTW, don't use a disappearing marker to mark your fabric because who knows how many years days will go by before you actually finish the cushion, and you don't want the marks to vanish. I used a Sharpie marker, which was fine because the marks are eventually hidden under the buttons.)



3) Go ahead and make a test cushion or two with cheap fabric or muslin in order to test the pattern and make any adjustments. Just skip adding the piping and actual buttons, but it's a good idea to test your straps. You'll still tuft the cushion, just without buttons, making the knots with the floss. Try the test cushion on your chair and tweak your pattern as needed.

I like a chair cushion to be pretty much the same size as the chair bottom, not spilling over the edges or looking shrunken. Here's a test cushion I made that was pieced. (It used to be stuffed and have buttons but I robbed it all to use with the final cushions.) The final design is not pieced because I decided piecing + piping + 8 buttons x 6 cushions = Crazy Town


Once you get your pattern finalized, the process of making them is pretty easy. And here's how to do it:

4) Now you'll need to gather:
  • Fabric for tops and bottoms (Decor weight works best, but I used quilting cotton on some of mine. You can always add fusible interfacing to beef it up.)
  • Eight self-cover buttons for each cushion you make. I used 7/8 inch buttons on mine.
  • One-inch wide cotton webbing or ribbon for the straps. I used about 20 inches per cushion (four 5-inch pieces), but that will vary for you because your chairs are different.
  • Velcro for closures (see note below about using a long piece as opposed to a square)
  • One package of premade piping for each cushion (Jo-Ann had a nice selection of Wrights bias piping, which comes 2 1/2 yards per package. I had about 18 inches leftover from mine, so this should cover a variety of cushion sizes.)
  • Scraps of fabric to match your piping for the self-covered buttons
  • Bags o' stuffing. I used 2 1/2 large bags (32 oz) of Polyfil stuffing for six cushions, and I probably err on the understuffed side. I really hate to stuff things. Late note: I ended up adding more stuffing after we sat on them for a few months, so stuff them as tightly as you can.

5) Cut lengths of cotton webbing or sturdy ribbon for the velcro straps. You'll need two pairs for each cushion. Use this formula for sizing:

Length needed to wrap around chair back and overlap opposite velcro
1/2 inch for finished edge 
1/2 inch for seam allowance

*** Late Note *** After some real-life road testing, I've found it's probably better to use a longer piece of velcro (as opposed to a square) unless your house contains only small, waif-like adults who do not squirm and fidget. Otherwise, a longer piece of velcro with more overlap will provide a more secure fastening.

6) To make the straps, press over 1/2 inch of one end. Tack with a dot of glue, then sew the velcro square rectangle so that it covers the cut edge. The picture shows a short piece of velcro, but you are going to use a longer piece because you are smart. You'll have four straps for one cushion. Two with the fuzzy side, two with the hooky side. Hooky is the technical term.


7) Trace and cut out two pieces of fabric for each cushion from your pattern and mark the button placement on the right sides.

8) Glue baste the piping round the edges of one of the cushion halves (see this post for glue basting instructions: Four Leaf pillow tutorial) except since you used a 3/8" seam allowance you can glue the piping so it is flush with the raw edge of the material. Snipping the flange around the corners makes it easy to curve the piping.


9) Using a zipper foot, sew the piping down just a few inches along the back of the cushion half, so that when you hand sew the opening together later you won't be juggling loose piping as well as two layers of fabric. You can also take this opportunity to sew a corresponding few inches along the seam allowance on the opposite piece of fabric, so you can use that as a guide when you hand stitch it closed later. I highly recommend that.


10) Next, glue baste the straps on with 1/2 inch overlapping the seam line, two straps per corner, one with fuzzy and one with hooky. Make sure that in each corner one strap is basted on with the velcro up and the other with the velcro down - learned that the hard way.


11) Glue-baste the other piece of fabric on top of that, right sides together, leaving an 4 inch opening in the center back so you can stuff it later. Pin around the inward side of the piping for extra security. Using your zipper foot, sew as close to the piping as you can, all the way around except for the opening. Be sure to backstitch at beginning and end.


12) Notch the curved corners of the cushion and turn it right side out through the opening. I always love that part.

13) Now set up your iPad on your work surface with Doctor Who Series 2 streaming (that last bit is optional) and stuff and stuff and stuff, until each cushion has a nice shape and is filled out but still pretty spongy. Don't sew it shut.

14) Add the buttons at this point. Thread a doll needle with a long piece of embroidery floss, doubled.

15) Go into the pillow at the button mark you made, then out of the pillow at the corresponding mark on the other side. You'll leave a tail of floss out the other side. Don't worry, you are going back to meet it. Now thread on a button (which you have already covered in matching fabric, right?), then go back through the pillow very close to where you just came out, and come out on the opposite side very close to where you came in (see the transparent diagram below).

16) Cut off your needle and tie a very tight square knot with the floss, pulling it as tight as you can to create a tuft (see diagram below). Ooh, look at that. It's tufted. Cool. Tie an extra knot for security. Then thread on another button and tie another couple of tight square knots that will disappear under the button as you tighten them. Trim the floss ends so they are hidden under the second button. Repeat those steps to add buttons on the other three sets of marks.

(The diagram below shows a single strand going in and out of the pillow, but it will in reality be two strands since you've doubled your floss)


17) Now stuff the pillow more and more and more around the buttons until it is just the right shape and firmness all over. I have learned by experience that when you think it's done, it's time to stuff it more. When you are really really done, wrestle the opening shut and pin it with your seam allowance tucked inside (aren't you glad you sewed the guideline there now?) and hand sew the opening closed. Finished!



Now go put them on your chairs and sit down a while.

69 comments:

  1. These turned out so awesome. Thanks for the tute. I have always wondered how people put buttons on cushions like that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Skooks! Thanks! That's my method anyway. Might be a better one out there, but it works for me.

      Delete
    2. I agree with Skooks. I always wondered how those buttons were inserted. I have my fabric and I think I actually am going to tackle this project. Thank you so much for your detailed directions. Better than the patterns!!!!

      Delete
  2. these are so adorable! i might make one for my sewing chair xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, jessewonderland, thank you! If you make one, show me a picture!

      Delete
  3. I love a good ten-year-long project! I have a few of those. Also a pile of 'boo boo' projects, as my daughter calls them. I call them problematic projects. :) Great result!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :-) Thank you! Glad to see I'm not reigning alone as Queen of Procrastin Nation.

      Delete
  4. I snickered at the "mullet of cushions" line. Hilarious! They turned out great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LeeAnn, unfortunately I had a mullet in high school, so I know all about it. :-)

      Delete
  5. Love them. They look great. Love the colored buttons! Come on over to my house so we can make some together, okay? :-) My mom came to my house to help make curtains one time. It was so much more fun together!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mama Pea, thank you! Ooh, sewing party, sounds so fun! I don't ever get to sit with other ladies and sew.

      Delete
  6. These are really great! I certainly don't have the patience with the stuffing / buttoning, but they are so cute it might be worth it! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. emedoodle, I totally relate. That is partly why it took so long for me to buckle down and make them. But I am glad I did.

      Delete
  7. Fantasic!
    it would be great if it was translate :-)

    Please.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara, I added the translate gadget at the top right! Enjoy!

      Delete
  8. I am totally in love with those! Even more I love that you aren't afraid to play with color and they all look so good together! I want to do something similar to our master bedroom....can you come to my house next time you are in town :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Kristin, thank you! I worried over it for far too long and in the end my brain disengaged and that's how I ended up with the colors. I recommend you just close your eyes and choose from a bag. Ha!

      Delete
  9. I love it! They are seriously gorgeous! I have been wanting to cover my ikea cushions for about two years, and finally finished them. They aren't amazing, but I am really sad that it took me so long to just do it. It did not even take that long to do!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Megan, thanks! I pondered doing that same thing, but the IKEA cushion was square and my chairs are not! Congratulations on gettin' er done.

      Delete
  10. Mullet of chair cushions! Wa ha ha ha! These are much more gorgeous than a mullet. Lucky for you, after all that work. Fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for thinking they are indeed nicer than a mullet, Jessica! I surely do. However, my judgement and taste are forever suspect after actually having had a mullet my entire sophomore year.

      Delete
  11. These are so fantastic!! I've been mulling & mulling what to do with my kitchen chairs too... I think I would cry the first time someone spilled something on cushions this nice, so I will continue mulling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy, ha ha! I have two words for you: Scotch Gard. Also, the prints are so busy I am hoping they will be forgiving as far as splashes go. Fingers crossed.

      Delete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are hilarious.
    I just started sewing and will probably never make a chair cushion (well never say never, these are fabulous). Even so, found myself reading (almost) every word of your tutorial solely for entertainment, which says something as I find it hard to make myself read most tutorials that I have vested interest in.
    I have a lot of half finished projects.
    Wish everyone made the boring part as entertaining as you do... Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, thanks, Nicole! I appreciate your feedback! In sewing, sometimes you have to laugh so you won't cry. Ha!

      Delete
  14. Hey, Stephanie,
    May I suggest googling 'how to button tufts'? That may give you several sources to view, including YouTube videos.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your cushions are great, I'll have to give that a try (after Christmas).
    Joyce

    ReplyDelete
  16. So adorable! These are much better than a mullet.Leather Button Beds

    ReplyDelete
  17. I realize I'm late to the party, but I LOVE these and want to try making them. I have some material for the tops, and am wondering if you can recommend a place online to order some fabric for the bottom. I want something contrasting, maybe a wide orangey stripe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Pamela! Ticking is usually available at your local fabric store, it's pretty common. However, I've never seen orange ticking so you may have to do some looking around to find exactly what you want, locally or online. I've found lots at fabric.com or fabricworm.com. For instance I searched orange stripe at fabric.com:
      http://www.fabric.com/SearchResults2.aspx?Source=Header&SearchText=orange+stripe&CategoryID=1d5f47dc-9991-4088-93f3-26a376046a5e

      Delete
  18. Hi Larissa, these are more than fabulous. I am so inspired and cant wait to get started ! For now there are only 2 chairs cushions to be made (hopefully will not take 5 years!) . Thank you again for your patience in posting these ! Candace

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Candace, thanks so much! You probably have a lot more follow-thru than me, so no worries! Ha. I'm sure your cushions will be great.

      Delete
  19. I just stumbled across this tutorial while looking for seat cushions. I had bought some fabric to cover some old upholstered chairs, decided against the chairs, but now have stools I want to make cushions for using the same fabric. This is awesome (and your sense of humor exactly matches mine! yikes) right along with looking at your finger wrinkles and wondering if they match mine before even reading your comment! Thank you and I will be making these! (but only 4, thank god!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Lynne in Seattle. I'm glad to know someone else has ET hands. Good luck with your cushions! I'm still enjoying mine. Worth the effort.

      Delete
  20. Hi Larissa, i'm about to start work on my seat cushions and love your material it's right up my street but I can't seem to find anything similar, what is the name or where did you get it from? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Angela! Look for Anna Maria Horner or Amy Butler fabrics. Some of these from my stash are several years old, but you should be able to find similar styles from both of those fabric designers. And of course the striped ticking is always available.

      Delete
  21. I am new to doll making...do you have any free patterns so I can see if I can do this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Linda B! Yes, if you look in my tutorials tab you'll find a free monkey doll.

      Delete
  22. I adore your seat cushions! I'm actually refinishing our little kitchen table right now and randomly stumbled across this on Pinterest. I've been debating on whato do with the chairs, and most conventional seat cushions I've seen won't work, as the chairs are a unique shape. Don't know why it didn't occur to MAKE MY OWN! Great tutorial! Maybe I'll have some pics to share of my own... in about a decade (cause that's how I roll with sewing projects, too!). :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha, April! Thanks so much. Glad to help. After looking endlessly for seat cushions I liked, much less that were the right size, I gave up too. Love to see what you make!

      Delete
  23. Hahaha! I am exactly the same - procrastinate for years, then finally buckle down, do it in a couple of hours and wish I'd done it years ago! I think the reason I have to thick about it for years is that I can't bear to waste gorgeous fabric if I do it wrong! Your cushions are really lovely; you have inspired me to crack on with the various projects I have been 'thinking about' for so long - particularly my son's curtains which I'd better get on with before he moves out !!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Sarah, exactly! Sometimes I think so much about it that I get project paralysis. Hah

      Delete
  24. I just made four cushions for our dining room, using your directions. They turned out lovely! I wish I could upload a photo to show them off, but I wanted to thank you for your invaluable tutorial, it surely would have taken me a lot loger than two days without your guidance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, KE Callesto. I'm so glad to hear it! I love that you were able to use the tutorial. So glad to help!

      Delete
  25. Those turned out so well! I have been wanting to make some for about 5 years...so I have 4 more to go! lol
    I have a hard time making a pattern, so maybe with your tutorial, I can manage it!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Now I know why you took ten years. It's taken me two days to make one cushion, and I'll probably be still making them in ten years time, soooo fiddly with piping and covering button, not my favourite past time, but on a positive note my kitchen cushion now matches everything else only another three to go!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bish Belle, haha! You'll hit your stride. Best to just do them all assembly line style. I'm so glad you like the new cushion!

      Delete
  27. I need to make four cushions, which means 32 cover button sets. When I found some on the net, they said the kid contained half shank and half plain backs. Which one did you use? I've never done these before and don't know where to find a good deal on them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Unknown. :-)
      You need the ones with shanks. The shanks allow you to sew them onto the cushions. The plain backs can be used for glueing on tacks and stuff like that. I've always been able to find them at the local sewing store. Coupons are good!

      Delete
    2. Also if you don't plan to make them reversible you can get away with plain buttons on the undersides.

      Delete
    3. Thanks for the information, Larissa!

      Delete
  28. Thanks love the pillows, I tried the Junk in the truck pillow, after sewing my fingers a couple of times I stopped. But will give your idea a try. Will send pictures. ..Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  29. I took on this project this week and made two pillows! You can see it here: https://65.media.tumblr.com/de0a4f3a3b030701ba0728c2846b4146/tumblr_oaw912MT4T1qbs6l4o3_1280.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you! I want brave enough to try the piping yet as it is only my third sewing project, but my kids kept complaining about their chairs being too hard so this was perfect. The buttons were challenging since I'm new, but I think I figured it out. 1 cushion down, 2 to go!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Jeesh! Now I have zero reasons to not make new cushions for those booty UNfriendly cheapo chairs we use on the porch in the summer. Thanks a LOT. No, really, thanks a lot :) Great directions and really nice cushions.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Absolutely beautiful job! My first cushion job was a disaster:( A long cushion for my daughter's window seat which looked great when done but was like sitting on bare wood when the polyfill compressed. Now I use foam and cut it to size. Love the look with different fabrics unified by the same backing. Uses up the stash and keeps me from buying more.haha

    ReplyDelete
  33. So glad to find your instructions. I have waited 20 years to attempt to make my own cushions....I made rocking chair cushions and totally agree with put in more stuffing than you think. 15 years and still have no tufted buttons and need more stuffing.....
    I hope now that I am retired I can actually make these cushions for my dining chairs! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is very attention-grabbing, You’re an excessively professional blogger.
    I’ve joined your feed and sit up for searching for more of your great post.
    Additionally, I have shared your web site in my social networks

    ReplyDelete
  35. Can you put these cushions in the washing machine? I'd like to be able to have something I can clean easily.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd recommend surface cleaning with soap and water only, or perhaps dry cleaning. (Although I'm not sure about the dry cleaning, since I've not done that.) I put mine in the washer and was not happy with the results -- the stuffing did not look good afterward. Boo!

      Delete
  36. These are beautiful! Do you hire out!!������ I am getting ready to take a stab at doing some recovering of outdoor cushions and this is a great chance to see this tutorial to help me visualize what I have gotten myself into!!!����

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi! Your cushions are beautiful! Do you hire out!!! 😂😂💕 actually I am getting the nerve up to tackle my first outdoor cushion recovering project! I bought all this different material years ago and I have been learning to sew for the past three years and I am going to take a giant leap! I guess the only way to learn is to do and make mistakes! Plus I don’t mind tearing out the stitches it’s actually relaxing!!! Thanks for the wonderful tutorial to bad you didn’t have a video with it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Vicky, thank you and good luck on tackling that recovering project! Sorry, I don't hire out to sew for others. My own plate is way too full! haha! I'm sure there are probably some constructive YouTube videos on cushion recovering that might be helpful. As my husband is fond of saying, everything you need to learn is probably on YouTube.

      Delete

Hello. Enough about me. Let's hear from you! If you post a question, I answer with a reply comment, so be sure to click the 'notify me' box as you post your question to receive the answer via email. Thanks!