Featured Fabric: Henry Glass Fabrics Camping Pups by Robert Giordano

Pattern Design by: Sally Gauntlett

Sewn by: Sally Gauntlett

When I saw this beautiful Labrador themed fabric, there was only one thing I wanted to sew with it. A cosy, comfy dog bed for my own dog. He has a black Labrador friend, so the combination seemed perfect. Let’s get started!

Skills Learned: Home sewing, patchwork, quilting

Skill Level: Advanced Beginner

Finished Size: 28 x 32” (71.12cm x 81.28cm)

Fabric Requirements:

(8) different fabrics to cut your contrasting fabric squares - 5” x 44” (12.7cm x 111.76cm) cuts each. I used:

• Camping Pups Navy - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2064-77
• Camping Pups Cream - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2065-44
• Camping Pups Tan - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2066-43
• Camping Pups Sage - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2067-16
• Camping Pups Red - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2069-88
• Camping Pups Blue - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2070-11
• Camping Pups Cream - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2070-11
• Camping Pups Grass - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2068-66
• Camping Pups Tan - CAMPINGPUPS Q-2062-43

Patchwork quilt backing fabric (I used a white cotton from an old sheet) – 30 x 32” (76.2cm x 81.28cm)

Fusible fleece or quilt wadding – 30 x 32” (76.2cm x 81.28cm)

Cushion back fabric (I used a remnant of boucle fabric from my stash. You could use fleece, faux fur or even cotton fabric if you prefer) – 30 x 32” (76.2cm x 81.28cm)

Equipment Needed:

• Cutting mat
• Rotary cutter
• Ruler
• Pins
• Safety pins
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• A sewing machine quilting foot (optional)
• A 22” (55.88cm) zipper
• Iron & ironing board
• 2 x pillows measuring 20 x 30” (50.8cm x 76.2cm)

Cutting:

You will need to cut the fabric to the following measurements.

56 x patchwork squares, measuring 5”. I cut 7 squares from each contrasting piece of fabric so that I could play around with the design.

The wadding, quilt backing and back fabrics are cut to be slightly larger than the patchwork top and will be trimmed to size later on.

INSTRUCTIONS:

LET'S START WITH THE PATCHWORK...

To start with we will create a patchwork cushion top of 8 x 7 squares.

Step One: On a flat surface (table or floor) lay out your patchwork squares in a design that is pleasing to you. Start with a row of eight squares and continue until you have a rectangle design measuring 8 x 7 squares.

TIP: When placing your squares, try to contrast light to dark fabrics and busy with calming prints and patterns. This will provide a nice contrast.

Once you’re happy with your design. Place your squares into piles with your first square on top (left to right) so that you can easily remember which order to sew your design in.

TIP: I find it helpful to place a small piece of washi tape or a pin on the top of my piles to hold them together if I’m not going to be sewing right away. You can also mark the first square with a pin or another piece of washi tape so that you know which square to start with when you come to sew.

NOW WE CAN SEW…

Please note that a seam allowance of ½” is used throughout unless otherwise stated.

Step Two: Sew each of your rows of eight squares together to form a row. Press the seams to alternate sides (to the left on one row, to the right on the next row etc.) You should have seven rows of eight squares.

Step Three: Take two of your rows of eight squares and pin them right sides together lining up and matching the seamlines of the squares. Sew the two rows together and press the seams.  Alternate pressing your seams upwards and downwards as you add more rows. This alternating will help to nest the seams and give a neater finish.

Continue in this way until all seven rows of eight have been sewn and pressed and you have a patchwork cushion top. Give the top a final press to set the stitches.

Step Four: Take your wadding and backing fabric pieces and lay them out on the floor or a table to form a quilt ‘sandwich’. Your backing fabric, wrong sides up on the bottom, the wadding in the middle, and your patchwork cushion top on the top. The wadding and backing pieces should be slightly larger than your patchwork top.

Step Five: Pin the three layers of your quilt sandwich together with either normal or quilting safety pins placing a pin in every other patchwork square. I find it easier to give the layers a press over on the ironing board before pinning to slightly fuse the fabrics together

Note: Small discrepancies in seam allowances can sometimes mean that panels do not line up exactly when matched. Unless your pieces are very uneven, don’t worry about this too much for now, patchwork gets easier with practice!

TIME TO QUILT...

Step Seven: Using a quilting or walking foot if you have one, sew a straight line of stitching along each patchwork panel approximately ½” away from the seamline. Continue vertically and horizontally until each patchwork panel has its own quilting line.

NOTE: The beauty of quilting is in its creativity – if you would prefer a different quilting design or even to hand quilt, feel free to do whatever you please here!

Step Eight: Remove your safety/quilting pins and give everything a good press. Trim any irregular edges with a cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler or a ruler and scissors and give it all a good press to set the stitches.

Step Nine: Take your cushion back fabric (mine was the boucle) and, using your patchwork top as a cutting guide, cut the back fabric to the same size as the top now that it has been trimmed.

Step Ten: Overlock or zigzag all around the edges of both your patchwork top and cushion back fabric to prevent fraying.

LET’S ADD THE ZIPPER...

Note: Your zipper will be a little bit shorter than the width of the front and back cushion pieces.

Step Eleven: Place your zipper, face down (with the zipper pull against the right side of the fabric) in the centre of the patchwork cushion top making sure that there is an even distance at each end. I had around 4” left each side.

Pin the zipper tape to the fabric 5/8” from the raw edge of the cushion.

Step Twelve: Swap your sewing machine foot to your zipper foot and sew as close as you can to the zipper teeth all along the zip tape backstitching at the beginning and end of your stitches. You are only sewing down one side of the zipper at this point.

Step Thirteen: Take the other side of the zipper and place it face down against the cushion back fabric. Centre the tape in the same way as you did for the patchwork top and pin in place 5/8” from the raw edge of the fabric making sure the zipper tape hasn’t twisted along the way.

Sew the zipper tape in place as you did with the previous side.

Step Fourteen: Close the zipper halfway and check that the sides of the cushion line up. Place your patchwork top, right sides together with the cushion back fabric and pin all around the cushion, starting at the end of the zipper tape getting as close as you can to the bottom of the zip and pinning all around until you meet the other end of the zipper. Finish pinning as close as you can to the top of the zip tape.

Step Fifteen: Switch back to a regular stitch sewing machine foot and sew all around the edges of the cushion, following your pins, using a 5/8” seam allowance. Pivot at the corners and back tack at the beginning and end of your stitches.

Step Sixteen: Open the zipper fully and turn your cushion through to the right side. Give everything a press and poke out the corners.

Step Seventeen: Stuff your cushion cover with your two pillows and close the zipper.

And you’re done! Gift to your favourite pup of choice and enjoy how much they love their new doggy cushion.

If you give this tutorial a go, please do share a photo on Instagram and tag me @madebysallygauntlett so that I can see it.  Don’t forget to tag @siysewityourself, too.

Happy sewing!

Fabric Details:

To view the complete Henry Glass Fabrics Camping Pups by Robert Giordano and more, click here.

Learn more about Sally here.

Instagram: @madebysallygauntlett
YouTube: www.youtube.com/madebysally
Blog:  www.madebysally.com