Filling up the cushions!
In this batch I made some regular old tufted tomatoes and a few apple and pear shaped cushions. They all start out the same way. Cut the fabric, interface and stitch. One tip for assembling the cushions: first sew together each half, then sew the halves together leaving a space to insert the filling. It’s the best way to match the points.
I like to use walnut shells for the main filling. This is a bedding material for lizards (or something) and available in the super-creepy part of PetSmart. It’s heavy enough to give the cushions some nice heft and cleaner than sand.
I know a lot of people mention emery powder as the ideal filling for the cushion to help sharpen the needles and pins, but after researching it seems that the whole emery thing is a relic from the past. Today’s needles and pins do not need the constant sharpening as they are made from higher-grade materials that are fine with any old filling. Plus, emery powder is hard to find and pricey.
Each of these cushions takes between two and three cups of walnut shells. I top off each cushion with some regular poly batting (and occasionally wool felt scraps). The batting allows me to get the cushions VERY full, and it acts as a sort of ‘plug’, keeping the free-flowing walnut shells from spilling back out of the cushion.
For the rest of the filling up process, here’s my mini tutorial.
Here are my cushions, all filled and stitched.
Next:
Makin’ Pincushions: Trims and stems + Tufting the fruit
Makin’ Pincushions: Assembling the tomatoes
0 comment:
Post a Comment