How To Make a Down Seat Cushion

Making a down seat cushion is something 

I always wanted to try.

Sooooo.....

on Thursday I hauled my bum over to Drape It, the upholstery and drapery workroom that has been turning out my wonderful stuff for eons.

They have now, in my senior years,  become my tutors.

Joe (the esteemed owner) probably figures that if I'm working on my projects it keeps me from playing in traffic.

Sooooo.....

I'm now going to share with you how it's done.

You have to make a down cushion from ticking, which has a high thread count and is a very tightly woven fabric.

It's necessary to have a tight weave so the feathers can't escape.

I'm sure that many of you have bought feather and down pillows, only to have the sharp quills poke you in the back.

THAT'S BECAUSE THEY AREN'T IN A GOOD TICKING!!!!!

Also, feathers have sharper quills than down, so they are like little spears and work their way through.

For this cushion I used 100% down.

Here's a picture of the finished uncovered cushion on the chair.

I still need to make the cover for it. I hope I can get to that today.......

Sooooo.....

Here's how you do it.

First make a template for the cushion.

I used the existing cushion after making sure it still fit on the chair.

I laid some lining fabric over it and pinned it in place.

Then I drew around the outside, using the welting underneath as my guide.

Then I folded it in half, and drew a line down the middle.

This way the cushion will be symmetrical. 

I drew another line 1/2" outside the first one for my seam allowance.

I folded it in half and then I cut the sucker out!!!!!

Sooooooo.....

I carried the old cushion and my template over to Gilles at Drape It for the next step.

Here's a picture of Gilles, for all his fans out there.

The guy looks like a country singing star, doesn't he?????

I took notes, writing them on the template (Gilles idea) so I wouldn't loose them and they would be RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME when I needed them.

He calls the cushion form a "bag", so to be cool.....we will too!!!!!

The "bag" needs to be larger than the finished cover to create a nice full cushy form.

So, I drew a line one inch outside my template on the ticking fabric.....

and cut out the pieces for the "bag".

Because I felt a thicker cushion would look better, I increased the box sides by one inch, so that the finished cushion would have a 4 inch side box.

Gilles had me clip the centers of the top and bottom, so it would be easier to line them up when I sewed them.

I pinned the boxing for the side to the top, leaving extra where the ends met.

I sewed the side strip to the top.

When I got to where the two ends met, I seamed them together and clipped off the excess.

This way I didn't have to worry if I got the measurement wrong.

Then I pinned the bottom to the sides, making sure that the notched parts lined up, and that the corners lined up.,

Once it was sewn together, I burst out laughing......

I had sewn it completely shut.

I have officially lost my mind.

So.....

I opened up a 3 inch hole, and turned it right side out.

THEN IT WAS TIME FOR THE DOWN FILLING!!!!!

It comes in a big bag.

Gilles stepped in at this point and took over.

He is a control freak.

I was happy to let him.

He strapped on his manly feather defying mask.....

pulled out the compressor hose...

and attached the bazooka!!!!!

YEP!!!!

That's what it's called.

The lever loop below is what controls the sucking and spitting.

It sucks in one side and shoots out the other!!!!!

Here's a shot that shows what the down looks like.

I made my first video!!!!!

I forgot the camera had a video action, and remembered as Gilles was sucking up the feathers, so I didn't have time to figure the damn thing out.

I sort of screech through it for the voice over, as I realized that there should be some explanation of the action...I got flustered because he was going balls to the wall, and I didn't have time to figure the whole dealio out.....

 so ENJOY!!!! 

I  filmed it sideways!!!!!

I edited it in Picasa, but that ain't working for me.

Oh wait!!!

I just checked and it's right side up!!!!!

I am da bomb....

(for some reason, the video doesn't show up on my IPad.)

I know....I know....

I SHOULD SEND THIS TO THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL!!!!!

When he was done, I sewed it closed and proudly carried my project back home, just like a little kid returning from summer camp.

Here it is on the chair, I just have to cover it in the linen fabric and apply the double welting (which I made yesterday!!!!!)

I think the look of a down cushion is just so luxurious.

As this is for a guest room, it won't have to be fluffed up that much!

Soooooo.....

The next post will be the final one on this chair.

Can you believe I'm almost done?????

Kris is on vacation, so when she comes back she will be surprised!!!!!

It's so gratifying to make thing for my friends and family.....

the trick is to never let them forget it!!!!!

On that note,

Latah, Gatah