How to make zebra cushions

It's really easy to make your own cushions and accent pillows, so why are they so expensive to buy? Beats me. I can't justify it, and I often make my own. Here's some I just made for my outdoor chairs using a zebra-print fabric I bought online. So cute, don't you think?

Of course, you can use any print you want. I happen to like zebras. The most important factors to consider are durability and whether they are likely to fade in the sun. This zebra fabric is a light canvas, so it's a medium weight cotton fabric and pretty durable, although it's not so heavy that it's hard to work with. The black stripes are supposed to be sun-resistant. Time will tell.

Meanwhile I'm pretty crazy about them.

In case you want to make some of your own, here's how to make these cushions, which are called "knife-edge" because the edges come to a point all around the cushion. It's the easiest of all the cushion and pillow shapes to make.

I used black piping all the way around the edges of my knife-edge zebra cushion. Piping makes a cushion look so finished and professional, don't you think? And my method of sewing piping is fool-proof. Read on to find out how . . .

First make a pattern for your cushions. Cut a piece of wrapping paper or tracing paper a little larger than your chair seat. Then lay the paper on the chair and mark the edges of the seat. Cut along your marking and you have a pattern you can use every time you want to make cushions for this kind of chair.

Tip: It's smart to write on the pattern which chairs this pattern matches. That way, when you want to make new cushions in a couple of years, you have a pattern available without taking apart one of the old cushions. Also you won't accidentally make a cushion for a different chair that doesn't fit.


Here's what you'll need for each cushion:

• A piece of 1" or 1-1/2" foam cut to match the pattern.
• Optional: Cotton batting to wrap around the foam to soften the edges.
• Enough fabric to cover both sides of the cushion - for these cushions I used about 1/2 yard per cushion, or 2 yards for 4 cushions.
  
• Enough matching or contrasting piping to go around each cushion. Measure around the outside of the pattern and multiply by the number of cushions you're making to compute the total inches/yards you need. Look at the piping package to see how many yards of piping it contains and buy as many as you need to get your total, plus a couple of inches. Piecing the piping works just fine, as you'll see in the instructions below.
• Thread to compliment your fabric.

Use your pattern to cut 2 pieces for each cushion, adding 1/2" all the way around for the seam.

Pin the piping all the way around on the right side one of the pieces, lining the unfinished edge up with the fabric edge. Overlap the ends of the piping and angle them slightly to the outside edge. I try to put the overlapped ends on the edge of the cushion that will be to the back of the chair. Sew all the way around as close to the piping as you can.

Pin the two pieces of the cushion together with right sides together. Stitch 3/4 of the way around the cushion on the same line you stitched to attach the piping, stitching just around both corners of the edge that will be to the back of the chair and leaving the back side open. This is where you will insert your foam.



You can either wrap your foam insert with a light layer of cotton batting, or you can cut 2 pieces of cotton batting from the cushion pattern and add them top and bottom to the foam. Or you can use the foam by itself. Whichever you use, fold the foam (and batting in place) roughly in half to insert it into the opening in your fabric 'envelope'. Then manipulate the foam and smooth the fabric and foam out with your hands to fit it in the envelope. Your cover should fit tightly.

Pin the opening shut, folding under the edges, and stitch it closed by hand.

You now have a beautiful piped knife-edge cushion for your chair - zebra or seersucker or covered in hydrangeas, whatever you chose!