Purple Soda Cushion

A while ago, I made several Ice Cream Soda blocks in different colours. Since then, the blocks have just sat on my desk, as I've been unsure what to do with them. The Ice Cream Soda block is an English Paper Piecing design by Tales of Cloth, and the idea is that they then come together to form a quilt. However, I wasn't that fond of the different colours I used put together: a teal, a pink, a purple and a red. Even though the colours are lovely on their own, they just don't match each other. Also, although the blocks are really fun to make, I didn't really feel the want to make a quilt. So the blocks just sat there (although they were at least looked at regularly, the individual colours are really lovely!) until the other day when I decided to sew a cushion for someone's birthday. I wanted to  make them something special, and my mum had the idea of appliquéing on of the Ice Cream Soda blocks onto the cushion! I found the lovely charcoal fabric in fabric land a while ago, and decided that the purple bock would be the best one to use (and yes, the other three blocks are still sitting on the desk, but I'm getting there -  slowly!).

The cushion has a zip in the back (a detail I really like, because I tend to just hand-sew cushions closed, although I know don't know why; zips are super simple and so much more practical!) and there is also piping around the outside. The piping was actually a bit of a spur of the moment decision, but I'm so glad I added it. It was my first time making and using piping, but it was really easy. Although I didn't use this tutorial for the whole cushion, I did use it for making the piping, and it was really useful. I think that piping is one of those things that you build up to so much, you keep putting it off, but it's actually so easy and it looks so lovely! This cushion is being given away, but I'd love to make some similar ones to put in my room!

Even though there was a new technique in this (piping) it was a really speedy sew. The longest part was probably taking the papers out of the English Paper Piecing, a process I find annoyingly fiddly! The block is appliquéd on with a simple zig-zag stitch around the edge. I love how adding the extra details of piping and a zip to a really easy make can make it seem so much more special!