Need help with a cushion project

[Mickey]

Hi,

I jus got a fabulous farm style dining table and 6 chairs from a Jt'er and another 6 gorgeous chunky wooden chairs from another kind JT'er. They all go perfectly with the wooden floors and the large rooms.

Thing is, I need to make cushion pads for 12 chairs. I am using an old duvet for the stuffing because I want them to be good and thick and comfy (for those long sessions around the table drinking copious amounts of tea well into the night while dicussing politics and religion and raising children (and other equally non-controversial topics)) ...

But I need some fabric (preferably matching or at least complimentary/good contrast) so that I can make generous, big-bum sized pads with double seams and good, long, wide ties.

Any help (with patterns and/or fabric) will be very much appreciated. :o)

I have NEVER sewn a stitch in my life (so I don't really know what's gotten into me) and am still plucking up the courage to use some lovely fabric I got from colmsmum for a long skinny skirt for the new skinny me. So I need to start off with something plain and easy. Also this will all have to be done by hand as I've no sewing machine.

So, to cut a long story longer, I need advice and maybe a pattern and some remnants that will go together really well. Even if I had enough for there to be only one cushion of each colour that should be great.

So, please, HEEEELLLLPPPP.

[misstake]

hiya Well i had this problem years go here is what i done now its cheap and might be helpfull lol
i got large curtains in a sale lots of material to use ok then got me a staple gun that saved the sewing so i could take them off and wash they were on there for years and got a lot of wear because my kids were small lol if you bought two pairs of curtains you could have matching
the second hand shops have great curtains very cheap so you could save by buying there

[Mickey]

That's a brilliant idea :o). Now the ones I need though are the kind you can take off and wash in the machine. I am not sure how a staple gun would help with that ..... definitely would be perfect if it was re-upholsering my old chairs - now given away.

If I did use staples then how would I get them to bend in the back? Can I do it that way - it would certainly solve the sewing virgin issue ;O)

[Mickey]

VELCRO ! The next best thing to sliced bread and glue guns - perfect! Perhaps if I used a glue gun and then stapled them for insurance they'd survive the washing machine...? What do you think? Would the glue melt do you think? Maybe on a cold wash it mightn't... ? Now to get newspapers and pop into the recycle shop or wait for some fabric to be posted on JT. :oD

[Mickey]

I've never actually washed anything that I glued together but it does hold quite well. I've used it to make blinds, costumes for school plays and all sorts of odd creations for the house. It is brilliant.
I wonder would it work if you glued it and used some of the very small safety pins. The other option is to make a new friend with a sewing machine and invite yourself for coffee laden down with the makings of your seat pads.
Carol

Do you have a sewing machine - wanna be my friend ? - ;oP

costumes for school plays - you are a genius - you have just saved me a small fortune in labour and grey hair and wrinkles from frowning (a lot) :oD

Safety pins could be a good idea... If I glue the whole thing inside out then pin or staple, then turn it right way round and close with velcro...? Maybe they don't even need ties ... but then they'd just slip off and I'd have kids flying one way and spaghetti bolognaise every other...

[misstake]

Shame you so far away got me a new machine lol Not out of the box yet given to me by a neighbour i usually turn up curtains and stuff for her but i hand sew them lol If i knew of what colour material you needed i would keep a look out in my designer shop lol < thrift shop> and might get a nice colour mmmmmmmmmmm think i have some heavy curtains here will look later for ya ok
good luck

[Stuarty]

Maybe some contrasting/coordinating ribbon would make nice ties? Theres no sewing there...

[Anonany]

Hello, just a thought !

If self-adhesive velcro is too bulky - which it might be ! - how about investing in an eyelet punch and a supply of metal/plastic eyelets ?

(a) Fold over all raw edges and iron flat

(b) Use eyelet punch to insert metal eyelets in folded-over edge

(c) Lace all the edges together with ribbon, cord, plaited wool, etc

(d) Lace a couple of extra bits to tie the pads to the chairs

Could be quite interesting and very individual ?

You should be able to buy the punch and eyelets in either a Craft/Sewing shop or a Haberdashery Department in one of the larger stores. The same goes for the lacing. Alternatively ... keep an eye out for someone offering them on Jumbletown !

Lots of luck, Anonany

[unapam]

Hi, I have to agree with previous posters, (Hey Kilk, I take that as a compliment!)
What I would say is keep it as simple as possibe and only go for one cushion at first. You will make some mistakes at first but do your learning on this one. When you are happy with the first then the rest will fall together.

If you buy or source some nice curtains you will have lots of fabric to work with and room for error. You'll get patterns on the Internet or make a custom pattern as outlined in earlier post.

Best of luck and I hope you get great results.

[Mickey]

GENIUS..ES..ES..ES..ES

The idea is growing as I read your posts - THANK YOU SO MUCH for the ideas guys! How does this sound?

Cut out the shape of the pad from the king sized duvet (should be enough for 12) and glue and staple them together so the bits don't fall out. Find fabric. Cut out fabric and fold in to neaten edges then glue them down. I will cut the ironing to a minimum (when we introduce ourselves it's 'hi, I'm Gordon Irons, Michelle doesn't...)

Take hole punch (of which we have one in the shed - hubby having said 'what on God's green earth do you ever think we'll ever need one of those for?... HA!) and put those eyelets all along the edge, nicely spaced of course, then use same hole punch and put those press studs along the opening to clip closed. Then I won't have the problem of the velcro hair trap that happens here all too often :)

Then find a neutral or beautifully contrasting ribbon (a really wide one) and thread through the holes (which already hold the fabric together) and leave really long at the end as ties...

I don't think it matters what colour it is - perhaps each one different or pairs the same? My dining room and breakfast room are painted a bright sunny yellow and all the floors and furnishings and dressers and such are natural wood in varying tones, so anything bright will be a bonus :o).

Whaddya think?

[Mickey]

Ooh - if I have to iron I just remembered I have that iron on gluey ribbon hem type stuff :o)

You see, I really am bad at sewing things (even buttons - that's why I loved colmsmum's buttonny picture frame - brilliant)

[icecream]

Don't go for the staples unless they're stainless steel, they'll rust like crazy:(

[Mickey]

Good point - just my luck the ones I use for putting canvas over frames would turn out to be something not suitable :o) Thanks for the tip. Thank you EVERYONE for the tips and suggestions. I feel like I am raring to get stuck in :o)

[ron.s]

just a thought but this stuff is brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
simply put a strip between 2 pieces of material and iron it.... it stick together, last through washing machine cycles of about 40 degrees, i hope this helps :-} not too expensive to buy either

[Stuarty]

not sure if we are allowed recommend websites, but www.marthastewart.com has nice craft tips and pretty ideas

[triciaL]

have you heard of wounder web. cut out shape of chair 1 inch bigger all round fold the extra inch in and iron flat when you have them all done place the wounder web on the folded in inch (3 sides only) and put another piece of material on top (folded inch facing down) and iron put stuffing in and web the last side. no sew cushions except for a few stitches to hold on a ribbon to tie to chair and the w.. web is fine in the wash. you can get w... web in any 2 euro shop

[Mickey]

Nope - but I have now and will definitely have a look for it next time I am there. In fact a special trip might be in order as there's a fabric store nearby (if it's still open...) :o)

Thanks for the Martha Stewart site Stuarty, am about to have a browse right now :o).

I have tons of ideas now - all I need is to get started - wish me luck :O)

[ron.s]

good luck

[RockyD]

Pity I dont live near you I have a sewing machine and only looking for something to sew.

Cushions for chairs are fairly flat You could even hand sew them in very little time. cut a pattern off the chair and leave it a bit bigger for sewing.

Good Luck just waiting for a photo of the finished cushion go on you will surprise yourself.

[Stuarty]

Hi Mickey

Any chance of an update/picture?

[KittyK]

Mickey

There are curtains for free on dublinwaste.ie. Take care. KittyK

[bluecurlygirl]

You could do the eyelet thing and for the material use the "seats" of old jeans - would be good talking point!! Like that idea myself and I don't sew either - mmmm feel a makeover coming on. What I did once for my mam was to buy foam (shame on me) and cut with a bread knife. I bought a length of vinyl and cut the shapes of the seat pads out of that. Stapled it into place and little grubby hands were no longer a bother - one wipe & clean bright seat pads in colours that matched her curtains!! Very easy to match next time you're decorating too!! Just pull out the staples, cut the new vinyl using an old one as template - bob's your uncle. Sure Homes Beautiful would be calling to ya!

[Mickey]

Hi everyone - sorry it has taken so long for me to get back about my little project. Nothing to show - YET! However - mod has sent me the most gorgeous pair of curtains (pic to follow soon) and I have ordered this flexible, washable, long-last-able fabric glue which should arrive any day now. I reckon I'll get at least 6 cushions out of this set (they will be quite biggish) and they will go so well in my dining room. I can't wait to get 5 minutes to myself (yes - I know - turn off the PC and pick up the scissors :o)) - I can't! I'm an addict! JTAnon here I come!

EDIT: But, I HAVE taken all the measurements already and drawn out my plan of how I need to make them so they can be washable and durable and hopefully gorgeous by the time I'm done :o) Next step - paper templates!

[magiceight]

Mickey - I just bought myself a shiny new sewing machine, I'd be glad to sew up your cushions for you (let me practise a bit first, haven't used one in years) :) Did you say you're in Wicklow? I'm not a million miles from you in that case.

[Mickey]

Mickey - I just bought myself a shiny new sewing machine, I'd be glad to sew up your cushions for you (let me practise a bit first, haven't used one in years) :) Did you say you're in Wicklow? I'm not a million miles from you in that case.

Hi magiceight :o)

Wow - you have just become my faovurite friend in all the whole wide world! I only saw your message today as my broadband has been down since the 26th of Nov and I have been in JT withdrawal. I'm up and running not a minute too soon as I've a family reunion (19ppl) to get ready for and am not my usual well-prepared self this year.

PM me your number and we can have a chat :0)

[magiceight]

I will do :)

That happened to me recently, I was offline for about two weeks and you wouldn't believe the amount of stuff that got done around the house!

[bluecurlygirl]

Maybe I should log off for two weeks also!

[magiceight]

LOL.... it's shocking though, I never realised how much I put off because I spend so much time messing about online, and it's starting to pile up again now that my broadband is back! :O

[bluecurlygirl]

I've been so busy getting all the wonderful ideas for christmas decorations from jt'rs and then finally got round to making some of them. I love our window. Have to post photo. But after my munchkin goes to bed I go onto jumbletown to see if anyone else has left ideas for me and then get sucked in and everything goes to pot! I'm sure there's lots of us in the same boat. I'm hooked and I love it. Anyway, back to thread - any sign of the cushions yet Mickey or any updates?

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

[Mickey]

Up to my tonsils and doing my best not to drown at the minute - I have a date with magiceight in January to do the cushion covers :o). She has a new sewing machine and we're going to give it a bash. At the minute I have finished re-painting a mirror frame from silver to gold and re-inforced it and hung it in my entrance hall. Very chuffed with it (mostly with the securing and strengthening) and it looks well there.

Picked a skip load of holly from the garden and decorating the house, putting up trees. Also making Christmas tree decorations which people seem to think I have bought (so am quite pleased with them). In fact I received teh ultimate compliment: my eldest (12) has given me a list of her school friends and asked me to make them each one for Christmas gifts. I am covered in matchpot paint and running out of fineliner but the curtain rings and ribbon are looking much less like what they started life out as :o). I will post pics soon because they have turned out to be really cute little things. 19 done and another 40! to go.

[bluecurlygirl]

I have a load of curtain rings that I couldn't dump - can't wait to see what you've done with them! You're a brave lady taking on that amount though.

[MandyD]

Thing is, I need to make cushion pads for 12 chairs.
Any help (with patterns and/or fabric) will be very much appreciated. :o)

I have NEVER sewn a stitch in my life So I need to start off with something plain and easy. Also this will all have to be done by hand as I've no sewing machine.

So, to cut a long story longer, I need advice and maybe a pattern and some remnants that will go together really well. Even if I had enough for there to be only one cushion of each colour that should be great.

So, please, HEEEELLLLPPPP.


Ok, the easiest way to make cushions is like this:

Measure your seats to find the right size. Let's say for instance that your seats are a foot n half by a foot n half.
Get out some cardboard.
A scissors.
A pen/pencil.
A needle and some thread.

Measure the same size on the cardboard (maybe leave an extra inch or two around the perimetre for padding) and cut out. Now place the cardboard over your material and cut that out too, allowing an extra half inch to fold over the board.
Remember what your teachers in school used to call tacking? Well that's what you do with the board and material. You tack the material to the board so you come out with a nice square of material sewn onto the board.
Now do another one.
When you have two cardboard and material squares, sew them together properly on three sides. Leave the last side open for removing the cardboard by taking out the tacking stitches, and then insert your stuffing. Now you can just sew up the last side, or put a zip on it.

Voila!! A lovely new cushion.

[mdemps]

I have just recovered the high stools in my kitchen, i bought 3 cushion covers and unpicked the seams ( you will have enough for 6 when you do this ) then i removed the old covers and replaced the new ones using a staple gun.

[Mickey]

Thanks for more tips guys. Posted a new thread about the curtain rings. Cushions happening in the New Year.