Sew patchwork cushions cover, instructions and free pattern

From a pile of small pieces of fabric, some sewing thread, a piece of fleece and a BERNINA sewing machine, we conjure up a mosaic patchwork cushion cover. This is magic at its finest!

Behind today’s 10th door of the blog advent calendar 2024 is a step-by-step guide on how you can use different fabrics and colors to sew a unique patchwork cushion that is not only cosy, but also brings a touch of magic. Let your creativity run wild and create something wonderful together!

Required material for your mosaic patchwork cushion cover:

Approx. 30 cm fabric each in three different shades of blue
Quilters Grid from Vlieseline, approx. 1 m
Volume fleece 279 Cotton Mix 40 x 40 cm
Matching yarn
Endless zipper in blue, 40 cm
Filling cushion 35 x 35 cm
Rotary cutter and carpet pad
Ruler
Iron and sewing machine
BERNINA 570 QE (NEW)

BERNINA 570 QE (NEW)

Handle big quilts with ease ✓ Rotate, turn & do appliqués easily ✓ Enjoy superb fabric feed ✓ Automatic features save time ✓ Patchwork foot included ✓

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Cutting

A total of around 250 2.5 x 2.5 cm (1″ x 1″) squares are used. You should definitely use a rotary cutter with a suitable base for cutting. A patchwork ruler is a good aid. I cut a large number of squares of each shade of blue and didn’t count them exactly.

Also cut 8 strips of fabric 5 x 40 cm (2″ x 15 3/4″)

Lay out a piece of fleece about 30 x 80 cm (12″ x 31 1/2″) in size. The Quilters Grid from Vlieseline is printed with brown squares 2.5 cm (1″) apart. These help you with orientation and also allow you to sew straight seams in this mosaic version. The adhesive coating ensures (after ironing) that the small pieces of fabric can no longer slip.

For the back of the cushion, cut one piece 15 x 40 cm (6″ x 15 3/4″) and one 30 x 40 cm (12″ x 15 3/4″)

Preparation for the mosaic patchwork cushion cover

For easier orientation, I marked the boxes on the quilter’s grid, which will later form the writing, with a small cross on the coated side. Place the fleece on your ironing board or a heat-resistant surface, as the pieces of fabric will then be ironed on directly. This is where the hard work begins: lay out the lettering from fabric squares of one color and then fill in the gaps with another color. I opted for a frame, but there are no limits to your creativity here. Check again that everything fits and then iron the fabrics onto the fleece. You should never push the iron so that every piece of fabric stays in place.

Sewing the mosaic patchwork cushion cover

Fold the top row over along the line and sew with a narrow seam allowance. The patchwork foot offers good orientation here Patchwork Foot #97. Then sew the next line and so on until all the cross seams are finished. Now is a good time to iron, making sure that all seam allowances are in the same direction.

Patchwork Foot #97

For patchwork projects with seam allowances of 3 mm (1⁄8”), 6 mm (¼”) and 7.5 mm (1/3“) ✓ Three notches on the side for precise guidance ✓ For 9 mm machines ✓

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Now the lengthwise seams follow: Fold along the line printed on the fleece here too. The seam allowances are relatively thick, but your sewing machine will manage! Work your way from one side to the other until all the squares are sewn together. The hardest part is done! Iron everything again, you can pull the patchwork piece into shape, as it can deform slightly due to the many seams.

For the upper and lower part of the cushion, iron the strips onto a corresponding piece of fleece and fold them over along the line. Sew them together, this time in one direction only! Then sew the two pieces to the top and bottom of the lettering and iron everything neatly.

Quilting

For a beautiful quilted look, place a piece of Cotton Mix 279 from Vlieseline under the patchwork top and sew at an even distance from the seam. Here, too, there are no limits to your creativity and other patterns or fonts are conceivable.

Sew the zipper with the Zipper Foot #4 between the two prepared fabrics and fold the larger piece over the zipper to cover it. Topstitch this with a straight stitch so that nothing can slip. Open the zipper a little so that you can turn the cushion through this opening.

Zipper Foot #4

Accurately sewing in zippers of all sizes ✓ For 5.5 mm and 9 mm machines ✓

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Place the top right sides together on the back and sew everything together all the way around. Now is a good time to add a label! Cut back the seam allowances and turn the mosaic patchwork cushion cover inside out. Iron it once more and insert the inner cushion, and the “Magic” cushion is ready!