Over the past year, there has been a slow moving project happening in stops and starts in my workshop space, in between other things.
In August last year, my clever son in law built a box window seat in the bay window of their flat. Foam seating blocks were measured, cut and delivered to me with a request for covers. I suggested it might be nice to use the same design that I had used on the ring pillow for their wedding, the Triskele symbol, here on silk velvet.
Approval for this granted, there followed a period of testing and trialing colours and techniques. I used plain calico and wanted to achieve a mottled effect, and for there to be none of the undyed fabric visible. Their sitting room is green, so I had to get the green right, hence many pieces of fabric with many different layers of colour.
Once colour and technique were approved, my first task was to use long stitches to mark out the shape of the cushions, so I knew where my parameters lay. Then I stitched the spiral patterns which would be drawn up shibori style to create a resist once the dye was applied. To ensure there was no ground colour remaining I washed in colour to the areas where the spirals would sit, having soda soaked the fabric first, as this fixes the Procion dyes. Stage one complete.
Stage two was to pull up the shibori stitching, then crumple the fabric into a shallow tray and dribble in the first layer of colour, predominately a variety of soft greens. There was also some magenta, but this became rather pale once the fabric was washed out and the stitching removed. You can see below the piece which would become two side cushions. I didn't want the magenta as strong as in the trial pieces, but here it has turned into a tentative hint which would be swamped by the next layer
Next the stitching was reapplied in the same place and more magenta painted in as they both rather liked the contrast this produced. I did this on wet soda soaked fabric so the colour ran in patterns across the cloth.
Once again the stitching was pulled up as tight as possible (you need good strong thread).
The fabric was carefully crumpled into shallow trays for the next layer of dye, a strong petrol green which, as before, would pool in the hollows, creating a variety of intensity in the final layer of colour.
I was very happy with the way the magenta highlighted the shibori circles, not too glaring, but enough to delight. You can see here the deeper colours which result from the crumpled fabric. Much more interesting than a plain overall green and the colours applied in previous stages, I hope, give life and variety to it all.
There followed, of course, all sorts of YouTube investigations on how to sew a box cushion, and how to mange zipper strips and the zipper pulls to achieve the long opening at the back: this was my first attempt at upholstery. I was helped greatly by two YouTube feeds, one from The Funky Little Chair, a wonderfully useful set of how to videos if you ever want to try your own upholstery. The other was an invaluable tutorial from Sew Sweetness addressing the thorny question of how you get the zipper tab onto that long strip of zipper tape - you simply need a fork!
So, many lessons learnt, Dacron and stockinette applied to the foam blocks (absolutely vital) and covers completed, the final stage was to see if they fit. I think you'll agree they came out rather well, though I say so myself. I was thrilled to discover I seemed to have got it all right, and one of their three cats gave it all the seal of approval.
He, the cat, asked me to tell you that it made for a very comfortable resting place for the entire following day, and also to note that he doesn't usually look this disheveled. This is his summer clipped look, rather than his princely winter Maine Coon coat.
The humans were pretty pleased too.
