Add a pretty, country feel to your sofa with these lovely floral cushions. I used the same fabric throughout, but you could choose a coordinating fabric for the back, so that you can turn the cushion over and change the look to suit your mood.
The covers are very easy to make, as they have no zips or buttons but are fastened with neat little fabric ties. To make them even simpler, you could replace the ties with ribbon.
Take 1.5-cm/½-in. seam allowances throughout unless otherwise stated.
each cover 1½ hours
1. Cut a piece of fabric measuring 48 x 49 cm/19 x 19¼ in. Along one short edge, fold over 1 cm/⅜ in. and then another 1.5 cm/½ in. to the wrong side. Machine stitch in place.
2. Cut four 7 x 25-cm/3 x 10-in. strips of fabric. Fold each one in half, wrong sides together, and press. Open out. Along both long sides, fold over 1.5 cm/½ in. to the wrong side and press. At one short end, fold over 1.5 cm/½ in. and press.
3. Fold the whole strip in half along the centre fold line. Machine stitch along the strip, stitching as close to the unfolded edge as possible, and across the folded end. Press.
4. Cut a 48 x 19-cm/19 x 7½-in. rectangle of fabric. Along one long edge, fold over 1 cm/⅜ in. and then another 1.5 cm/½ in. to the wrong side. Pin and machine stitch.
5. Cut a 48-cm/19-in. square of fabric. With right sides together, pin the raw edge of the rectangle from Step 4 to one side of the square, inserting one tie into the seam 12 cm/4½ in. from one corner and another one 12 cm/4½ in. from the other corner. Machine stitch in place. Press the seam open.
6. Lay this piece wrong side down on your work surface. With right sides together, place the other piece of fabric from Step 1 on top, aligning the hemmed side with the seam on the bottom piece.
7. Fold the flap over the top and pin and machine stitch around the three sides of the square. Turn the cover right side out.
8. Take the remaining two ties, fold under 1.5 cm/½ in. at the raw ends and machine stitch them onto the cushion cover, aligning them with the ties already in place. Press the cover. Insert the cushion pad and tie the ties in a neat bow to close.
