Part 4: Quilt and finish your cushion

Part 4 - Quilt and Finish Your Cushion

1. Grab your ruler and rotary cutter. Line your quilter's ruler with the top of your cushion top, using the edges as a guide.

1. With your rotary cutter, trim around the outside of your cushion. Trim the backing and wadding all the way around. Remove any excess material.

Sew a Guide for Easy Hemming

1. Bring back your two cushion backs. Take your cushion over to the sewing machine, and sew a guideline on the longest edge of your cushion back. Place the backing under the sewing machine foot, and sew a line 1cm away from the edge. Detach your cushion back from the sewing machine.

1. Fold the fabric over where you stitched and press. Fold once more and press again.

1. Repeat twice on both of your cushion backs.

1. Grab your cushion backs and take them over to the sewing machine. Lift your presser foot and slowly stitch along your fold to close the seam. When you get to the end, do a couple of backstitches to secure your seam.

1. Turn your cushion top upside down, making sure the right side of the cushion top is facing the table. The cushion should be lying in the position you want it to be when it is upright.

1. Layer your cushion backs onto the back of the cushion, lining it up with the edges of the cushion top. The two backs should overlap.

1. Pin all the panels in place, securing through the middle and on all four edges, putting pins in every 8–10 cm (3–4 in). Place the pins diagonally in the corners.

Referring back to the building blocks, add your binding to the cushion using an invisible stitch.

When you get to the end of your binding, stitch past the point where you started, adding some security stitches to the seam. Finish off your hand stitching with a quilter's knot and then snip off any excess thread.