Are you interested in how to make a cushion? Cushions are very easy to make and you can use them to add accents in any space of your home. Sometimes we look for specific colors or styles and sometimes it is challenging to find what we are looking for. There are many home decor fabric options available and if you don’t find a the color of the cushion that matches your decor, you can definitively find the perfect fabric.
I bought a new couch for my living room and even though my husband bought a few cushions at Home Goods, we wanted to have some yellow to match the curtains (you can see my custom made curtains in this post). We found a pretty fabric at our local Joann’s Fabric and I used zippers by the yard to add some interest. They were very easy to make and I’m very happy with the result. It took me less than 1 hour to finish each cushion.
This tutorial provide illustrated step by step instructions in how to make a cushion with zipper accents. The same technique can be used for any cushion style and you can vary the zipper placements. For the next one, I would like to make a flower applique using zippers.
My cushions are 18″ x 18″ and 15″ x 15″. I had a 18″ x 18″ cushion insert and since I only bought 1 yard of fabric, I had to make the other cushion smaller. The instruction in this tutorial are for a 16″ x 16″ cushion, but you can use the size that fit your needs!
Cushion Finished Size: 16″ x 16″
You’ll Need
1/2 yd of home decor fabric
2 yds of zipper (buy zipper by the yard)
Filling – (Cushion Insert or Fiber Fill)
Cutting
Cut two (2) 17″ square pieces
Sewing Instructions for How to Make a Cushion
Cushion Front Side
- Cut 7-8 inches diagonally from the corner for zipper installation
2. Place zipper over the raw edge of the diagonal cut on the large piece and secure with sewing clips
3. For even spacing, sew the zipper using the left side of the standard foot against the zipper coil. (about 3/8″)
4. Press open and topstich in place using 4mm stitch length and aligning the right side of the standard foot against the zipper coil (about 1/8″)
5. Place second zipper over the first zipper right sides together aligning the edges and secure with sewing clips.
6. Sew the zipper using the left side of the standard foot against the zipper coil. (about 3/8″)
7. Press open
8. Mark center of both cushion front pieces (I marked with a pin) and place corner over the zippers right sides together. Secure with sewing clips.
9. Sew the zipper using the left side of the standard foot against the zipper coil. (about 3/8″) – Since this piece is cut on the bias, do not stretch the fabric.
10. Press open and topstich in place using 4mm stitch length and aligning the right side of the standard foot against the zipper coil (about 1/8″)
11. Trim the corner piece to square the front cushion piece.
Cushion Back Side
12. Cut the back cushion piece 5″ from the top
13. Install Zipper Pulls. We need the zipper to open to be able to fill it.
14. Repeat steps 2-4 to install, press, and topstitch the zipper.
15. Repeat on the other side
16. Place Front Cushion Piece and Back Cushion Piece front sides together and secure with pins or sewing clips.
17. Open a small section of the zipper to turn the cushion cover.
18. Sew around the cushion edges using 1/2″ seam allowance.
19. Finish the edges using a serger o zig zag stitch.
20. Open the cushion and insert the cushion filler.
I made two cushions… for one of them I used a cushion insert
For the other one, my husband filled with a fiber fill.
Finished Cushion
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