My eldest loved this one. She is 7 and loves a cushion for reading. The cutting was a little tricky for her to figure out, but the tying is certainly something the kids can get involved with. Get them involved in making their own removable no sew cushion cover, or make one for them in colours to match their room.
This would also be a great craft for a sleepover or a party for kids aged 8+. If you don’t want to let them loose with scissors, pre cut the fabric and get them to do the tying.
You will need:
- Fleece fabric in a main and contrasting colour
- A cushion pad (I used a 20″ square cushion pad)
- sharp fabric scissors
- a fabric pen or chalk for marking
- a ruler or tape measure
Before we start, here are a couple of definitions I thought you might find useful:
- The wrong side side of the fabric. This is the back of the fabric. It is often duller in colour than the right side. With fleece, it will also be less fluffy than the right side.
- The right side of the fabric. This is the side of the fabric you want to see. It is often brighter, and with fleece, is the fluffier side of the fabric.
- The Selvage Edge. This is the “self-finished edge” of the fabric.
I use a mixture of inches and centimetres in this blog. Some of you reading this are probably cringing, and I apologise for making you feel that way. But as long as I’m not adding different units together, I go with the one that is easiest. Sometimes it’s inches. Sometimes it’s not. You’ll see as you keep reading. It’ll make sense.
Let’s get started
I have allowed a 3″ fringe for tying around the cushion pad. Calculate the width and length of your fabric based on the measurement of your cushion.
Cut a square from your main fabric, 6″ wider than your cushion pad. I have used a 20″ cushion pad, so need a square of fabric 26″ across. Leave your cut square to one side.
To make your no sew cushion over removable, we need to make the contrast or back of the cushion a little different to the front. You will need two rectangles of the contrast colour.
- Cut 1 rectangle the same width, but only half as long as your main fabric. For my cushion, that is 26″ by 13″
- Cut 1 rectangle the same width, half as long, with an extra 6 (or so) inches. For my cushion, that is 26″ by 19″. The extra 6″ will be used to make a fold to remove the cushion pad when the cover is complete.
You should now have 3 pieces of fabric cut and ready.
Time to start constructing
Place the main fabric right side down (the side you want to see when your cushion is finished) on your table.
Lay the smaller contrast piece on top (right side up), lining up one of the longer edges with the main fabric underneath. Place the larger contrast piece on top (right side up), matching one of the longer edge with the remaining edge of the main fabric underneath. You contrasting fabrics should overlap in the middle. Fold the overlapping edge of the larger contrast under by about 2″ (or thereabouts.)
Cut a 3″ square from a piece of card. Place this on the corner of your fabric, lining up the edges. Cut around the template to cut out the corner of your cushion cover.
Using a ruler as a guide, cut strips around the edge of both layers of fabric at once. These need to be about 1.5cm in width, but don’t stress about it too much. So long as they are even and not too skinny, it’ll look amazing. I started trying to measure each one and cut it accurately. It didn’t go well. When I started guessing the rough width, it looked much better. The ruler was a guide for where to stop cutting more than where to cut the strips.
Time to start tying
When you have made it all the way around, cutting strips, its time to start tying them together. Tie one from the bottom with one from the top. I used double knots. We dont want them to come undone anytime soon. We’ve made the cushion cover removable already, so a double knot will stand up to general living abuse a lot better than single knots!
When you get to the overlap, simply divide the strips into 2 and tie the 2 groups together, just as you would if there were only 2 strips to tie.
When you’ve made it all the way around, you’re done! All that’s left to do is to put it on your cushion pad.
As your removable no sew cushion cover is made from fleece, it will stand up to a normal wash cycle. Just check your knots from time to time and tighten any that are coming loose.
Happy Crafting!!
Beading Brilliant 