Pie Crust Cushions from Jo Colwill's Book 'Cushions & Quilts'

I have been itching to use some lovely linen fabric in my stash, but just had to decide on the right project.  As I only had a fat quarter each of the floral and pink hare fabric, I knew it had to be a cushion.

Last November I had the delight of being back at Cowslip Workshops in Launceston, Cornwall for their annual Xmas Bonanza Weekend. One of the many options to try out was a Pie Crust Cushion, designed by owner Jo. Using some lovely red heart and flower fabric from the shop along with some I already had, I created a fabulous applique heart cushion. But more of that later.

This gave me the idea for my Hare cushion.  Using the larger brown hare fabric piece, I then cut out the pink hare fabric to create a wide border.

The final size came to 11 inches square.  I cut out the back fabric and then added a piece of wadding and plain fabric to each to create a quilt sandwich.  This helps bulk out the cushion and makes the Pie Crust effect when you hand stitch later.

A side gusset has to be added to the top panel first and then the bottom panel leaving enough space to get your cushion pad in.  Stuff the cover with the pad and hand sew the open seam with a slip stitch.

The Pie Crust effect is created by hand sewing up and down on the top and bottom of the cushion, using a cotton Perle thread.  I used Anchor Cotton Perle No 5 in Colour 968 Pink.

Here's the original Heart cushion I made, which gave me the idea for the Hare cushion.

This was using a 12 inch square, but both were stuffed with a 14 inch cushion pad for bulk.

And as its Chelsea Flower Show this week, I thought a garden shot might show them off nicely!



Happy Sewing!