Tutorial: Vintage-Style Button Heart Piped Cushion part 1

 Ever have a Eureka moment? It struck me that, with a bit of rejigging, I could use our old sofa seat cushions to make this really fab Modern Country button heart cushion for next to nothing.


Inspiration cushion - no longer available



Wanna see how? Come with me....

This is what you'll need:

Sofa seat cushion

Calico panel

Buttons

Sewing equipment

Step 1:

Unpick the seams of seat cushion. Keep the piping, and the square top and bottom. Discard the strip with the zip that wrapped around the middle.

Step 2:

Take one of the large squares of fabric and cut out a 20''/50cm-sided square size plus 1''//2.5 cm  seam allowance all round. Put to one side.

When cutting out material, these are your best friends: a rotary cutter, a cutting mat and a clear rule. You'll get much better straighter and cleaner cutting than with scissors.

Step 3:

Take a piece of calico (I used an old cream curtain lining), iron it and put it in an embroidery ring. This will help get the buttons spaced evenly as it pulls the material taut.

Step 4:

 Sew on mother-of-pearl buttons in a heart shape. I found it easiest to put a pencil dot at the top, bottom and widest point of the sides of where I wanted the heart to go. I started at the bottom and worked my way up.

 Step 5:

Take the calico out of the embroidery ring and cut it to a 10''/25cm square plus 0.5''/1cm seam allowance. Turn under and pin the seam allowance. Press flat. Please don't skip the pressing steps when you make something. It's simply miraculous the great results it gives. 

  

Step 6:

Attach the calico panel in the centre of the larger square you put aside earlier using small discreet stitches called, I think, hem stitch.

Step 7:

Sew larger mother-of-pearl buttons to the corner of the calico sqaure.

I hope you've got your scissors to the ready. I'll stop there for now to let you catch up. Come back tomorrow for the assembling of the cushion.

{So....what do you think so far? Do you think you might you have a go? }