Matrix round cushion instructions and link to You Tube video.

I've been asked for these instructions on You Tube so many times, I hope these are helpful, my e book with instructions and video should be out late summer so please bear with me for more instructions. And welcome to my new Stateside and Algerian viewers!

Matrix Round Cushion

 This is the first smocked cushion cover I made and had so many compliments! It looks really complicated but isn’t actually all that difficult…
 1.   Measure your cushion pad all the way around the circumference, mine measures 44”, then across the top from seam to seam, mine is 16”. I’ve worked out through trial and error that the size of fabric needed is 24” x 56”.
2.   Measure a 6” border down each of the long sides of your fabric, and mark out the centre 12” with your grid, on the reverse of the material. If your cushion pad is larger, make the 6” border wider and the length a bit longer, but keep the central 12” grid the same.
3.   Transfer the matrix pattern to the grid.

4.   Stitch the two points of each diagonal together and knot, no need to snip off the thread in between each stitch.

5.   When the panel is completed, sew the two short ends together, right sides facing, so you now have a tube. It’s really difficult to make the seam invisible, but it won’t be noticeable when the cushion cover’s finished.
6.   Turn the right side out, and slip the sleeve over your cushion pad. I’ve put a pen mark in the centre of my pad to make sure when I gather, the pleats fall into the middle.

7.   Pinching the natural pleats that your smocking has made, pull them all inwards.
8.   Using really strong thread and a large needle, join all these pleats together with a running stitch, leaving both ends of the thread loose so that you can pull them both together and tie a tight knot.

9.   Push the ends of the thread through the centre of the gather to neaten.
10.            Do the same on the other side of the cushion.
11.            Take a long need le and strong thread, push the needle straight through the centre of the cushion and out the other side, return the needle and pull the ends together and knot, this gives shape to the cushion pad.
12.            Go back through a couple of times, and in the process take the thread through a button at each side which is large enough to cover the gathering.

You may prefer to cover the gathers with ribbon or silk flowers instead of a button, but don’t let your guests then sit on it!

The grid is on You Tube, link below, so please watch, pause and copy the grid!

And this is the You Tube video.