Sew a quick and easy cushion cover

It’s a New Year, and I’ve been in a craft funk (since my Advent calendar, actually). It’s time to get back onto the sewing bandwagon, starting with a simple project – cushion covers.

We’ve recently made a few changes to our backyard, ripping down an old (asbestos-ridden) lean-to shed, and replacing it with decking and a patio, complete with a comfy outdoor lounge. But it looked a plain and boring. It needed a splash of colour!

The prices of outdoor cushions at some of the places we looked when buy the lounge was phenomenal! Good thing I can make my own.

Quick trip to the fabric store, and I bought waterproof canvas in a few bright colours and prints. I don’t plan on leaving these pillows out in the wind and rain, but a good outdoor fabric was still necessary.

I wanted a simple project, so these are an envelope-style cushion – no zippers or buttons. I whipped up a stack in an hour or so. Here’s how the “envelope” looks on the back:

And now our outdoor area looks happier and brighter!

I just need something to decorate that table! (And maybe pull out those giant weeds down the back…)

Here’s the tutorial for how to sew a quick envelope cushion cover:

Materials

Fabric the same length as your cushion insert (see Step 1 for more details)
Cushion insert (I used four 16” (41cm) square inserts and one 22” (56cm insert)
Coordinating thread
Scissors
Sewing machine

Method

1. Cut a rectangle of fabric the same width as your cushion insert (for an over-stuffed pillow – see note below). For the length, use 2x the cushion insert and then add 4 inches (10cm) (for cushion inserts up to 18” (46cm)) or 8 inches (20cm) (for cushion inserts over 20” (51cm)).

Cushion size	Fabric width
16” (41cm)	2 x 16 + 4 = 36” (92cm)
18” (46cm)	2 x 18 + 4 = 40” (102cm)
20” (51cm)	2 x 20 + 8 = 48” (122cm)
22” (56cm)	2 x 22 + 8 = 52” (132cm)

If your fabric isn’t wide enough, you can either cut along the length of the fabric (rather than the width), or cut separate front and back pieces for your cushion.

Note: For an over-stuffed puffy cushion, cut the fabric the same width as the insert. After the seams are sewn, the cushion cover is smaller than the insert, creating a puffier pillow.

If you prefer a less-stuffed pillow, add 1-2 inches to the dimensions listed above.

2. Press (and/or pin) a 1/2” (1cm) double-fold hem on the two short ends of your fabric rectangle. (That is, fold the fabric in 1/2” and press, then fold it over again and press again)

Note: I chose to only press the fabric for two reasons – to avoid putting too many holes into the fabric to ensure it stays waterproof, and because I’m lazy and hate pins!

3. Sew the two hems into place.