DIY: Oil Cloth Cushion

This week I’ve been inspired by Selina Lakes new book, Outdoor Living. It's got me all excited for summer and afternoons in the garden, and it's also got me thinking of ways to simply and quickly spruce up your outdoor area to add colour and comfort, without spending too much money or time.

Cushions are a really easy way to do this, and oilcoth is the perfect material for outdoors, so here’s a really quick little project for some oilcloth cushions, ideal for styling your garden chairs or bench.

First I used a standard sized dinner plate to draw around to get a circular shape, drawing out two of these pieces.

Add an inch around the entire circle for the seam allowance and cut out.

Place your two pieces right sides together and pin and/or tack around the edge. I tacked around between the line I'd drawn and the edge of the fabric, giving me approx. 1/2 inch for the seam.

On your sewing machine, stitch around the seam, leaving a decent opening of approx. 3 inches. As the material is quite stiff, you’ll need this to push it through.

Cut some little triangles around the circumference to reduce bulk on the seams and to give you a more rounded edge.

Turn out the cushion.

Fill with polyester stuffing and finally stitch up the gap by hand.

Bring it out to your garden with a nice cuppa and enjoy!

You could easily whip up a few of these in a couple of hours, and if you had more time, why not add a pretty pom pom trim for some extra detail?

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