JULY
Vintage Porch Chair
PIECED BY Penny Layman
FINISHED SIZE of paper-pieced block (includes blue background): 12˝ × 12˝
Summer has settled in for the Northern Hemisphere. The days are long and warm, and the nights are short and sticky. It is the best time of year to pull up a porch chair, open a bottle of your favorite drink, and take life easy!
Materials and Supplies
CD content is available to download from http://tinyurl.com/11026-patterns.
•Blue fabric: 1 fat quarter for background
•White solid fabric: 1 fat eighth for chair legs
•Assorted prints for seat and back of 3 different chairs
TIP
Color a master copy of the pattern with the color of fabrics you wish to use to ensure that you use the correct fabric as you foundation piece the project.
INSTRUCTIONS
Allow ¼˝ for all seam allowances. Sew the very small pieces, such as the chair rails, with a ¼˝ seam allowance but trim to ⅛˝ after sewing.
Assemble the Block
1. Assemble all the sections.
2. Join B to C. Join D to E. Join BC to A to DE.
3. Join H to G to K. Join M to HGK. Join J and L to HGKM. Join F to HGKMJL.
4. Join N to FHGKMJL to P.
5. Join BCADE to NFHGKMJLP.
6. Repeat Steps 1–5 to make 3 chairs total. Trim chairs to 4½˝ × 5½˝.
7. Choose the layout of the 3 chairs and sew them together side by side.
8. Sew a 4½˝ × 12½˝ background strip to the top.
9. Sew a 3½˝ × 12½˝ background strip to the bottom.
Vintage Porch
CHAIR CUSHION
MADE BY Penny Layman • FINISHED PROJECT SIZE: 15˝ × 16½˝ × 2˝
Heavily influenced by her dad, Penny has grown to love all things vintage. This vintage porch chair cushion will take you back to the good old days when all the neighbors spent time sitting on their porches, rain or shine, waving at passersby.
Materials and Supplies
CD content is available to download from http://tinyurl.com/11026-patterns.
•Flower print fabric: 1 yard for background and cushion back
•Crossweave print fabric: ½ yard for chair, gusset, and ties
•Text fabric: 1 fat quarter for chair arms and legs
•15˝ × 16½˝ × 2˝ foam cushion (I used NU-Foam by Soft n Crafty, which dries quickly and resists mildew.)
•Perle cotton
Cutting
FLOWER PRINT
•2 strips 1¾˝ × 10½˝ to sash the chair block
•2 strips 3¾˝ × 15½˝ to sash the chair block
•1 piece 15½˝ × 17˝ for backing
CROSSWEAVE PRINT
•2 strips 2½˝ × width of fabric for gusset; sew together along the 2½˝ edge to make 1 strip and trim to 2½˝ × 63½˝
•2 strips 2½˝ × 16½˝ for ties
NOTE Change the size of the pillow to fit your chair by adjusting the size of the background fabric strips added to the top, bottom, and sides of the paper-pieced chair block. Cut a piece of background fabric for the back of the cushion the same size as the chair block.
To calculate the length of the gusset strip, measure the perimeter of the chair block and add ½˝ for the seam allowance.
INSTRUCTIONS
All seam allowances are ¼˝.
Assemble the Cushion
1. Follow the instructions for the July block to paper piece 1 chair (page 59). Trim the chair block to 10½˝ × 13˝.
2. Sew a background 1¾˝ × 10½˝ strip to the top and bottom of the chair block and a background 3¾˝ × 15½˝ to the sides.
3. Sew the 2½˝ ends of the gusset strip together to form a continuous loop.
4. Pin the gusset to the cushion top, right sides facing. Curve the strip slightly inside each corner. Sew the strip to the top. Remove the foundation from the cushion top.
5. Press the ties in half lengthwise. Press each long edge in to the center fold. Press the center fold again so the raw edges are contained inside the tie; topstitch.
6. Position the middle of each tie on the gusset strip loop about 3˝ from each back corner along the side edges and stitch a rectangular shape.
NOTE Adjust the positioning of the ties on the gusset to fit your chair.
7. Pin the backing piece to the other edge of the gusset, right sides facing. Sew, leaving an opening about 12˝ wide on the back edge for turning and to insert the cushion.
8. Turn the cushion cover right side out, insert the foam cushion, and slipstitch the opening closed.
9. Using perle cotton, embroider around the paper-pieced chair with a running stitch. Catch the foam cushion in your stitches as far as possible.
10. Use perle cotton to whipstitch around the gusset/cushion top seam. Hide the knot in the seam and bring the needle out of the gusset ⅜˝ from the seam. Take the needle straight above into the cushion top ⅜˝ from the seam. Bring the needle out in the gusset ½˝ to the left of the previous stitch. Repeat, taking the needle into the cushion top straight above the last stitch into the gusset, keeping stitches ⅜˝ from the seam.
