This is what the top of the cushion will look like when the three sides are attached, and prior to the bottom being attached. Again, this is a cushion where both the top and front will be visible.
There are a lot of videos here, but it was all to jog my memory in the future.
After our first cushion, it became important to create an assembly line. This helped us to remember each step. We performed the task on a cushion and then the next cushion and the next.
When we sewed our very first cushion, we wrote down the steps in order. The first cushion refined the process.
We would break each step into 2 parts, so that I could perform a task and Mary Beth could perform a task in parallel to speed things up. I would tape and she would sew or vice-verse.
Remembering this cushion does not have a 4-side boxing, here we are attaching a zipper in back and the two sides. The cushion top will fold over to create the front side.
Also, this video points out that before we ever sewed, we tested needle tension. We would sew samples of the cloth together and make sure the thread met in the middle.
I would also test that the fabric was being pulled through the machine evenly. On a sailrite machine, this is not a problem since both the bottom and top are pulled. On this machine, it can be a problem and we need to make sure the sewing foot is not too tight or too loose.
The solution was simple. We test sewed fabrics together before sewing the real thing.
Please remember this cushion is not the same cushion we were sewing in the earlier blog posts. This is the 3rd cushion we made.
This is a cushion with a visible top and front fabric and a zipper in back.
You can see how the cushion is put together. The zipper side is 5" wide and in the back. The top fabric has an extra 4.5" that folds over in the front to sew to the bottom. The 2 sides are without zippers and are 5" wide.
One more video of the zipper in place prior to sewing...
Note that the zipper tape did not line up with the far edge/sides. In future cushions, we avoided that. I made sure the zipper tape was attached to both sides from the middle out with the teeth matching the way that they were originally locked together. I learned to use only the slightest pressure when applying the zipper tape to the cushion with the seam tape if I wanted edges and original teeth to line up perfectly.
It didn't make a difference, except that I like things to line up perfectly. The tape in this video was simply trimmed shorter and that was that - no problem and the zipper worked perfectly.
When cutting a side that will have a zipper in it, the question is how tall to make each cut.
Our foam required 4" sides. With batting, the sides are actually a little larger when inserted, but the compression makes the cushion firm.
So, a side without a zipper would have 2x 1/2" allowances on the top and bottom edge and would be cut 5" wide.
However, when you insert a zipper into the side (obviously the back side) of a cushion, you have to cut 2 strips that when zippered together is 5 inches. So, how much to you allow for the addition of a zipper?
You cut 2 strips 3 3/16" Basically, you give 11/16" to the zipper (at least with our material).
We experimented with a small piece of fabric by adding a small piece of zipper tape and seeing the end resulting width. You can do the same. Cut two strips of a known width and add zipper tape to both and zipper together. Then, see how wide it becomes. Adjust your measurements accordingly...
For us, and our material, two strips at 3 3/6" zippered together created a 5" back side.
