Window Seat Cushions Project

Made these two custom-sized window seat cushions from my client's beautiful upholstery fabric. I ordered the foam to their window seat dimensions, cut out and matched the repeating pattern in the fabric, and created and applied the piping.  I put a full length zipper in the back that allows the covers to be easily removed for occasional cleaning.

Abbi's Shirt

Made this shirt for school for my granddaughter.  I drafted the pattern in her measurements based on a popular current style shown below.  She and I had a fun day shopping together for fabric.

Window Seat Pillows

Just completed window seat pillows to go with the cushion I made for my neighbor, Donna.  I ordered custom sized pillow forms after we figured out her needs.  The pillows are 10" high.  Two are 22" long; the big one is 42" long.  We used almost every scrap of leftover fabric from the cushion and included a full length zipper in each pillow for ease of cleaning. My June 20 post shows the window with just the cushion and the June 19 post shows the mini planning sheet on this project.

Scout!

My granddaughter is modeling Scout! This tank top was made-to-measure for her specific shape. I think she looks totally cute. I named the pattern after her. She is the queen of great naming; I'm hoping she'll think of a brilliant name for the next pattern we're going to make:

Scout!

My latest from-scratch pattern making/sewing creation--Scout!  I've put the steps in the pattern and design process into one triptych above.  The first photo shows my first muslin.  A muslin is a basic tool of pattern making from scratch.  It is a trial cutting of the pattern into inexpensive fabric similar in weight and texture to the fabric intended for the finished garment.  You can see my fitting notes and pattern changes marked directly on the muslin.  I needed to raise the armscye 2 inches, widen the neck band to 3 inches and drop the top level of the bodice 1 inch.
The third photo shows my second muslin made after I made the changes on my pattern from the first fitting;  the band is wider, the armscye higher.  This muslin fit my client perfectly!  Now it's time to make the final garment, seen in the middle photo.
Below is the mini version I drew out and corrected as I went along developing the pattern.  It served as a beginning point for my design as well as a reference point in constructing and updating the actual pattern pieces.

Best Place For Dreaming

Made this window seat cushion for my friend and neighbor, Donna. It's 100" x 20" x 1 1/2" with a back zipper, wrapped foam and welting. It was great fun to make and an adventure to stuff. Donna's planning a trip to Spain in a few weeks!

The Planning Behind The Project

I'm very pleased with the look of my latest sewing creation, Donna's window seat cushion.  After posting, I began thinking of the process of its creation and realized most of the problem solving on the project was worked out when I drew up a mini pattern of her cushion.  Several design and construction issues showed themselves as I sketched out the pattern and I was able to solve them ahead of time with precise cutting, measuring, and planning.  The pattern making skills I've been learning from Reyburn Brown are making the results of my work easier to accomplish yet more professional looking at the same time!  Thanks, Reyburn!