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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Round Cushion Pattern and Tutorial

These round cushions are the perfect decorative accent for a bed, or sew one to use as a padded seat on a round stool. My children love tossing them in the floor and sitting on them! However you use them in your home, you'll be sure to get lots of compliments, especially when you use fun fabrics like Panda-Rama by Maude Asbury or Flutter & Float by Ana Davis for Blend Fabrics.

Make a small 12" diameter round cushion or a large 18" diameter round cushion using my Round Cushion Tutorial below. It's easier to make than you might think!


Disclosure: I was provided the fabrics used in this post in exchange for sharing a project a sewed with it. All opinions are my own.

SUPPLIES for a 12" Round Cushion:

  • Download the sewVery Round Cushion Pattern from Craftsy (affiliate link)
  • Cut 1 on Folds - cushion Front using Panda-Rama Bamboo in Blue by Maude Asbury for Blend Fabrics
  • Cut 2 cushion Back pieces using Panda-Rama Bamboo in Blue
  • Cut 2 - 2.5" wide x 12" long Facing pieces using Panda-Rama Bamboo in Blue
  • Cut 2 - 4" wide x 18" long Side pieces using Panda-Rama Love Bird in Grey
  • 2 yards pre-packaged piping or make your own*
  • Cut 1 cushion Front using Pellon Shape-Flex SF101
  • Cut 2 cushion Back pieces using Pellon Shape-Flex SF101
  • Cut 2 - 4" wide x 18" long Side pieces using Pellon Shape-Flex SF101
  • 1 - 1" wide x 2" long piece of velcro
  • Cut 3 each 1" thick Cushion pieces using Fairfield Nu-Foam** using the Front pattern piece minus the 1/2" seam allowance
  • Thread
  • Pins
  • Iron
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine
  • Zipper foot
  • Rotary cutter and mat
* Make piping by cutting on the bias 1.5" wide strips of Panda-Rama Rice Paper in Black fabric and sewing them together. Then sew a 1/4" diameter cording between the length-wise fold of the fabric using a zipper foot.

** Alternatively, you may cut 1 - 3" thick Cushion piece using a 3" thick foam of your choice.


ASSEMBLE:

1. Fuse the Pellon Shape Flex SF101 to the back of the cushion Front, Back, and Side pieces.

2. With right sides together, place one Back piece and one Facing piece together along the straight edge of the Back as shown. Pin and then sew together using a 1/2" seam allowance. Turn under the raw remaining long raw edge of the Facing by 1/2" and press.


3. Turn the facing to the wrong side of the Back piece and press well. Topstitch the seam of the Back and Facing using a 1/4" seam allowance then stitch the open long edge of the Facing using a 1/8" seam. Trim the ends of the Facing even with the edges of the Back.


4. Repeat for the remaining Back and Facing pieces.


5. Find the center of each Back piece along the straight edge by folding in half and marking with a pin. Sew the rough feeling piece of velcro to the wrong side of the top Back piece on the Facing in the location marking by the pin. Repeat for the remaining Back piece, but sew the soft feeling piece of velcro to the right side of the Back. When the two Back pieces are properly aligned, the velcro pieces should fit together.

6. Place the two Back pieces together to form a circle with the two pieces overlapping along the center. Use the cushion Front as a guide to make sure you overlap the Back pieces to form the same size circle as the Front.


7. Now pin the edges where the Back pieces overlap and then baste.


8. Place the two Side pieces wrong sides together and pin the short ends together. Sew the short ends together using a 1/4" seam. The Sides now form a circle.


9. Starting along the bottom, use a zipper foot to sew the piping to the right side of the Front using a 1/2" seam allowance. Match or finish the end of the piping seam per your preferred method.


10. The start/stop point of the piping should be near the vertical center of the Front. Starting at this point, begin pinning the long raw edge of the Side to the Front. Continue pinning the Side to the Front until you return to your starting point.

It may be necessary to go back and readjust your pinning to make the Side circle fit onto the edges of the Front circle perfectly. If you cannot easily readjust your pinning to remove enough ease, then it may be necessary to resew one seam of the Side pieces with a larger seam allowance to take out the slack.


11. Using the zipper foot, sew the Side to the Front using a 1/2" seam allowance being sure to sew as close to the piping as possible. If desired, clip the edges to help the curves lay properly.


12. Repeat Step 9 for the Back.


13. Repeat Steps 10 and 11 for attaching and sewing the Side to the Back.


14. When finished sewing, turn the cushion right side out through the velcro opening.

15. Insert the 3 round Fairfield Nu-Foam cushion pieces into the form through the opening. Secure the velcro to keep the opening closed.


Enjoy! These fun Round Cushions are perfect pads for round stools, chairs, or sitting on the floor. To sew a large 18" Round Cushion, use the supply list below and follow the same tutorial steps for the 12" Round Cushion.


SUPPLIES for an 18" Round Cushion:

  • Download the sewVery Round Cushion Pattern from Craftsy (affiliate link)
  • Cut 1 on Folds - cushion Front using Flutter & Float (Float in Green) by Ana Davis for Blend Fabrics
  • Cut 2 cushion Back pieces using Flutter & Float (Float in Green)
  • Cut 2 - 2.5" wide x 18" long Facing pieces using Flutter & Float (Float in Green)
  • Cut 2 on Fold - 4" wide x 14.5" long Side pieces using Flutter & Float (Breeze in White)
  • 3.5 yards pre-packaged piping or make your own*
  • Cut 1 cushion Front using Pellon Shape-Flex SF101
  • Cut 2 cushion Back pieces using Pellon Shape-Flex SF101
  • Cut Pellon Shape-Flex SF101 Side pieces to match the fabric Side pieces cut
  • 1 - 1" wide x 3" long piece of velcro
  • Cut 3 each 1" thick Cushion pieces using Fairfield Nu-Foam** using the Front pattern piece minus the 1/2" seam allowance
  • Thread
  • Pins
  • Iron
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine
  • Zipper foot
  • Rotary cutter and mat
* Make piping by cutting on the bias 1.5" wide strips of Flutter & Float (Buttercup in Orange) fabric and sewing them together. Then sew a 1/4" diameter cording between the length-wise fold of the fabric using a zipper foot.

** Alternatively, you may cut 1 - 3" thick Cushion piece using a 3" thick foam of your choice.

Have FUN sewing!

7 comments:

  1. Could you put in a zipper 3/4 the way around the side so you eliminate the gapping problem that tends to occur with the overlapping pieces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure! The Velcro on the overlapping pieces keeps them gapping though and makes this an easier project for someone not experienced with zipper installation.

      Delete
  2. Hi, really cute make. :)
    When you sew the side and circle together, do you have the side or circle on top? And do you sew like a curve or do kind of turn it upwards and rotate it like a cylinder so that you are sewing a straight line, if you see what I mean?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Great questions. To begin, I pinned the Side to the Front Circle and sewed with the Side on top and folding the excess Side under and away from the presser foot. For the Back Circle, I pinned it to the Side and sewed with the Back Circle on top. In order to sew the Back Circle to the Side, you have to smash the Side down and fold it out of the way as you go to keep any excess out of the seam allowance. Does that make sense? You could sew it the other way you mentioned, too, with the whole circle sort of standing up, but it's really what you feel most comfortable doing.

      Delete
  3. Hi, I'm so glad to find this tutorial. I haven't found any others like it. But now that Craftsy/Bluprint is defunct, will you be posting the pattern on your blog?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am currently working to update and add some tutorial patterns to my Etsy account where you may have to pay a small fee to purchase the pattern pieces.

      Delete

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