Project by Maz Beatty
Fabric: Off & Away - Dr Seuss Books (2962-05)
To make the cushion you will need:
1/2m of a cotton print fabric
Co-ordinating cotton fabric
Matching thread
Co-ordinating lace/trim/ribbon (about 70cm length)
Concealed zip
30 x 50 cm cushion pad
I couldn’t wait to make my little one a cushion out of this new fabric print featuring the artwork from Dr Seuss’ story ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’. We bought our daughter a special version of the book when she started school last year, so it holds sentimental value for us.
I wanted to make a cushion that could sit on my daughter’s bed and support us to sit up while we read bedtime stories together, so I opted for a rectangular shaped cushion pad. I went back and forth about the best way to show off the fabric, but eventually I decided to cover the back of the cushion in the print and ‘frame’ the fabric on the front of the cushion between a coordinating, solid, pink fabric. I happened to have some lilac, cotton lace in my stash (my husband is rolling his eyes at this comment right now!) that matched the colours in the print perfectly and I thought this would just make the cushion a little bit more special.
Firstly, I cut the cotton for the back of my cushion (30cm x50cm). I like to cut a template out of tracing paper first and pin this to the right side of the fabric so I can see exactly where the pattern repeat is and how straight I am cutting it. I used this method for the front pieces of my cushion too. For the front of the cushion I cut a bigger section for the middle in the cotton print and added 2 cm extra to the width to allow for seam allowance. I also cut two slimmer sections out of the solid pink print for the edges of the cushion and added 1cm extra to the width of these.
Next, I pinned the slim, solid, pink fabric sections to the fabric print. I sewed these using a 1cm seam allowance which I had accounted for in my cutting.
After sewing the three panels of fabric (for the cushion front) I pressed the seam allowances towards the outside. I pressed the seam allowances to the outside as I planned to attach the lace over this side of the seam and this would ensure the cushion was a crisp and neat as it could possibly be.
I used an edge foot on my machine to help me stitch the lace trim as close to the seam as possible. The foot takes all the hard work out of keeping your sewing straight, so I’d definitely recommend using one for little jobs like this.
I used a concealed zip to make the opening for the cushion pad. I wanted this to be at the bottom of the cushion to make it less obvious when placed on the bed, and as the fabric print is directional, I took a bit of time making sure I was attaching the right pieces together!
The last step in sewing the cushion was to simply sew the remaining three edges of the cushion front to back.
"You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!"
- Dr Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go
I am really pleased with the outcome of the cushion. The main reason being that my daughter recognised the print straight away and has it proudly displayed front and centre of her bed next to her favourite teddy! I feel really lucky to have been offered this fabric. ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ conveys an important message, and the fabric is a great little reminder of the message in the story.
To see more from Maz, follow her on Instagram @mazzlesmakes and check out her website!
Made by Marie-Claire Beatty for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.