Cushions – Zips & Piping

Cushions – Zips & Piping

Learn how to make professional looking cushions with zips and piping to match your furnishings. Shop-bought cushions can be expensive but why pay out when they are actually quite easy to make. This soft furnishings workshop will teach you how to add zip closures, and a piped edge. You’ll never need to buy a cushion again.

Course description

What’s covered:

• Design of a cushion:  we’ll look at a variety of decorative details such as piping, frills and flanges.
• Measuring and cutting fabric, taking pattern placement and matching into account.
• Piping is covered in bias binding so the workshop will include how to make your own bias-binding too.
• Sewing in a zip – a foundation sewing skill.
• Then you’ll complete your cushion cover.

Who is this aimed at?

Level:  Intermediate. You’ll need confident sewing skills.

What will I learn?

This workshop will cover:

• consideration of the design
• pattern-placement and matching, if required
• measuring & cutting fabric
• making bias binding
• adding the piping
• inserting a zip (standard lapped-style zip)
• completing the cushion

Course arrangements

Fabric will be provided so you have a chance to practice and learn the skills.  Then you’ll have the knowledge and confidence  to make your own cushion at home using whatever fabric you wish.

You can bring your own sewing machine or let me know when you book  if you need me to prepare one for you to use in the studio. If you are bringing your own, then you’ll need the accessories (presser feet), bobbins, instruction manual, and please check that you have your power cable/foot control. You will need a zip foot.  If you have some Singer models or a Janome machine, then due to the design of the zip foot for these models, you’ll also need a separate piping foot. Please ask if you have any questions about this.

Useful links:

If you need to buy a zip foot for your machine, or check if it needs a separate piping foot, then Pembertons Sewing Machine Centre will be delighted to advise you.