Sew a foldable padded picnic cushion: free sewing pattern

Make alfresco dining more comfortable with a foldable, padded cushion. A few poppers will hold it neatly together when not in use.

You will need

● scissors and pins
● two panels of fabric, perhaps cut to fit a bench (the roll shown measures 70cm x 152cm)
● sewing machine, thread and iron wadding, the same size as your fabric – either use one piece 4cm thick, or two pieces 2cm thick
● needle and thread
● pretty buttons
● tailor’s chalk
● large poppers
● length of herringbone tape, or hemmed fabric, to make a handle

To make

1 Pin the fabric panels right sides together, then sew around the two long sides and one of the short sides. Remove the pins as you go. Turn the material out and iron flat.

2 Feed the wadding inside the cover.

3 At the open end, turn under the fabric by about 1.5cm-2cm, inwards, on each side. Pin together, then machine-sew 5mm from the edge to form a neat seam. Be sure to remove the pins as you go.

4 To hold the wadding in place, pass a couple of stitches right through the cushion at equal intervals along its length, attaching buttons on each side of the cushion as you go.

5 Starting at one end, fold the cushion into three or four even-sized sections to form a fat little rectangle. Mark with tailor’s chalk where you would like to attach poppers – one at each of the two outer corners usually works well – then hand-sew them in place.

6 Add a length of herringbone tape or hemmed fabric to the top edge of the folded cushion to make a handle (see below).

For extra comfort, use a natural wadding made from British wool or organic cotton from www.cottonpatch.co.uk

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