Get creative with this easy cushion cover project from Pip Lincoln’s new book Sew La Tea Do.
If you don’t want to bother with zips or learning to make buttonholes, this is the perfect project for you.
Please ask before you cut up a nice fellow’s shirt, though. If you don’t know any men, you could raid your local thrift store for shirts. It’s good to note that this project takes about ten minutes.
Fabric details
- Finished size: 39 cm square
- Seam allowance: 1 cm unless otherwise stated
- Fabric should be washed, dried and pressed before beginning to allow for shrinkage and to prevent dyes from running.
Supplies
- One button-up men’s shirt (not polyester)
- 40 cm x 40 cm feature fabric
- One cushion insert measuring 40 cm square
Sewing kit
- Sewing machine and thread to match your fabric
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Tailor’s chalk
- Needle and thread
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Iron and ironing board
- Optional: pinking shears
Cutting out
Deconstruct (that is, hack up) the shirt by cutting up each side seam from the bottom to the shoulder. Then cut along the shoulders to completely separate the front part of the shirt from the back.
Lay the shirt front piece on a flat work surface and cut a neat square from it measuring 40 cm x 40 cm. You can have the buttons running down the centre of this square or a wee bit off to the side, depending on what you think looks cute and how big the shirt is.
Sewing up
Unbutton a couple of buttons in the middle of your square, leaving those at the top and bottom done up for now.
Securely pin the square of feature fabric to the shirting square, with right sides together and matching all edges neatly.
Stitch all the way around the square, a consistent 5 mm in from the raw edge. Using a zigzag stitch, stitch around the edge a second time to make your cushion extra strong. Trim your threads and neaten any messy edges with scissors or pinking shears.
Turn your cushion cover the right way out and press neatly. Unbutton it, stuff your cushion inside, button it up and make another one.
Variations
You could patchwork your feature panel, or sew a cute handkerchief onto the feature panel before you stitch it all together.
Make the front from a pretty fabric and the back from a more masculine shirt.
You could also use a vintage tea towel or tablecloth for your feature panel, or you could use both the front and back of the shirt and make the shirt fabric the main feature.
Extract from Sew La Tea Do: 25 favourite things to sew by Pip Lincolne. Published by Hardie Grant, RRP $49.95.
[...] Alternatively, you can use a tea vintage napkin or tablecloth for your control panel functionality, or you could use both front and back of the shirt and make the fabric of shirt, the main feature. This article is a revised edition, original one is at here. [...]