Just as with the donut cushion in the previous chapter, size and proportion really matter with the ski slope. If you choose to make this structure larger, make sure you’ve got the hair to cover it, particularly in the back. You may also wish to make this cushion smaller—more of a foothill than a mountain—which will also result in a fashionable and accurate coiffure. Play around with proportions—heights in front and back, depth and width—for a variety of different effects.
• ½ yard (0.5 m) wool knit matching hair color
• #30 thread
• Horsehair, granulated cork, wool roving or other stuffing material
H. J. The Village Barber. 1778. [England: Pubd. M Darly, 39 Strand, June 1] Photograph. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2006685336/
1. Choose a wool knit that is close in color to your hair when powdered. Cut out the pattern, and mark the match points on the outer piece.
2. Pleat the short ends of the outer piece, and pin to hold in place.
3. Stitch a running stitch between the Xs and draw up the thread to gather this section. Repeat for the opposite side.
4. Place the gathered outer piece atop the inner piece, matching the marks and arranging the gathers to ease the fullness between the match points. Pin.
5. Starting a few inches away from the center of one long edge, backstitch all the way around the pieces, stopping a few inches short of where you started.
6. Turn the pieces right side out, then stuff the cushion with horsehair. Be sure to get it into the front nub particularly and use enough stuffing to fully fill out the form but not so much as to stretch your knit too much.
7. Turn in the seam allowance on the opening, pin the edges together and whipstitch them closed from the outside.
8. Now bend the cushion around so the taller back “wings” meet. Stitch these edges together—this is a little tricky. It doesn’t have to look nice, but it does have to be strong.
9. You may have some excess here and there that needs a little nip and tuck. We needed to pinch the base of the cushion near the front and whip it closed. Pinch and whipstitch as needed to manipulate the final shape of the cushion.
10. Whew! That was intense, but you did it! Now your late 1770s ski slope cushion is ready to adorn with hair and decorate with all manner of things. Read on to see the resulting hairstyle.
