My son-in-law asked me to make 16 cushions for the outside area of his wine tasting room. He bought the fabric ages ago, and I used some of it to recover the cushions on his own home patio. I have been putting off making the tasting room cushions because the weather has been too lousy for anyone to sit outside. But it is March now and I need to get this project done.
Like many projects that I don't do often there is a learning curve to get up to speed. I needed to figure out how to cut two-inch foam pads the size needed. I needed to refresh my memory on how to calculate the size of the gusset/box corners. And I needed to figure out how to do a zipper that wraps around the top two corners of the cushion covers for easy removal.
I spent half the day watching YouTube videos. Most of the instructions for making your own box cushions were horrible. One woman had her long hair hanging over the pieces she was demonstrating, so what she was doing was completely obscured. Not too useful. A couple of professional upholsterers recommended basting your seam allowance closed and sewing your zipper over it. Then removing your basting stitches, revealing the zipper, but leaving a gazillion little threads to pick off. No thanks, that sounds like extra work.
The most useful and easy to follow YouTube video was Steh Hiesher's DIY Easy One Piece Box Cushion Cover Tutorial. I highly recommend it if you have any cushion covers to make. Her method of making the boxed corners and the wrap around zipper were both great.
How about that zipper? It is a nice feature to have it wrap around the sides of the cushion. It makes it a lot less of a struggle to get the foam pad in and out for laundering.
Now this might surprise you. The foam cushions I am working with are two inches thick. My good Gingher scissors weren't right for the job, and the rotary cutter wouldn't work at all. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, the item that was recommended most often for cutting foam was an electric knife. My dad used to have one he used for carving the Thanksgiving turkey. I didn't want to touch it for fear of cutting off my fingers, but my husband is experienced with using one and he cut the first cushion for me.
One down and 15 to go! I tell you after making four cushion covers I am done for. Ryan has 16 seats he needs cushions for, so that is what I will be working on for the foreseeable future. I've got a system going now, so my pace should pick up!
What a beautiful job you did on the first one! The first is usually the prototype and the worst looking of the bunch. I'm high-fiving you. I hope the rest go smoothly and that he rewards you handsomely. lol
Posted by: Mary | March 07, 2024 at 04:46 AM
Agree that it is great. Make him pay you in wine!
Posted by: Debi Bacon | March 07, 2024 at 05:23 AM
Looks like you have quite the project to complete! The first cushion looks great. Thank goodness for YouTube videos! Finding the right one can be a challenge sometimes. Good luck, hope all goes smoothly!
Posted by: Sandra | March 07, 2024 at 06:03 AM
Ah, the things we do for love... 16! You are off to a good start. There certainly are a lot of amateur Youtubes out there!
Posted by: sue s | March 07, 2024 at 06:26 AM
And, you're matching the stripes on every.single.cushion??? You're already a quilting, cooking/baking, reading rock star & now upholsterer! That zipper puts the covers on a whole other level! Great job!
Posted by: Jan | March 07, 2024 at 07:45 AM
Oh you are brave. Sixteen - with the matching stripes... GAH!! I do alot of quick upholstery jobs that are not so perfect. Theater set dressing... change out cushions or pillows on the same piece of furniture, different show... I'm glad I don't have to do something quite as meticulous as this. You can hide a LOT on stage!! LOL YOU have fun with this. You should celebrate when you're done!!
Posted by: Nancy B | March 07, 2024 at 09:49 AM
1) omg!!! I remember those electric carving knives!
2) I hate when I have to start all over again on any project because I can't remember how/what I was doing. You are a good mom-in-law.
3) youtube can be great and it can be frustrating. I hit 'subscribe' whenever I find a good tutorial so then I can easily find it next time.
4) I'm with Nancy: STRIPES?! YIKES!!! also, Debi: payment in wine...but don't touch until you put the tools away. ;p
Posted by: Ina | March 07, 2024 at 10:22 AM