Embroidered cushions - Free sewing patterns

Update your living space with this summer’s trend of meadows and wild flowers and make this pair of cushions. The freehand machine embroidery brings seed heads, blooms and grasses to life, which will have you dreaming of sunny days. Why not stitch over a traced design to build your confidence if you are new to this technique?

Essentials

Plain green fabric
Beige circle print fabric
Green floral print fabric
Beige square print fabric
Cream felt
Coordinating sewing thread
Lace, 35cm
Tape measure print ribbon, 35cm
Shell buttons, three
Tissue paper
Tearaway stabiliser
Cushion pads: 30cm square, 30cm x 50cm

Dimensions List

30cm x 50cm
30cm square

Make a rectangular cushion

1 Cut a 16cm x 32cm piece of green floral fabric and 4.5cm x 32cm of beige square print. With right sides facing, stitch together with a 1cm seam allowance. Press the seam open. Cut 32cm x 37cm of cream felt and stitch it to the beige fabric with right sides together, pressing the seam when finished.

2 Download the embroidery template. Trace the design onto white tissue paper. Place this onto the cream felt, making sure the bottom sits on the seam on the right-hand side. Hand stitch around the edge of the tissue with large tacking stitches to keep it flat while sewing and lay this onto a piece of tearaway stabiliser.

3 Free machine stitch over the pattern twice using the photo as a guide for the coloured thread. To add depth and shadows, use darker threads. Carefully tear away the tissue from the front and the stabiliser from the back. Iron on the reverse.

4 Cut a piece of green floral fabric for the back of your cushion the same size as the front and pin right sides together. Leaving a gap at the bottom for turning, machine stitch all the way around. Trim the corners and turn right side out. Insert a cushion pad and hand sew the gap using slip stitch.

Stitch a square pillow

1 Cut a 32cm square from plain green fabric. Trace the smaller floral design onto white tissue paper, placing centrally onto the cushion front so that the bottom of the design is 24cm from the top edge. Hand tack in place and lay a piece of tearaway stabiliser at the back. Free machine stitch over the design twice, then carefully remove the tissue and stabiliser from the back. Iron on the reverse.

2 Stitch a length of coloured lace across the width of the cushion front so that it just covers the edges of the stitching. Sew a length of tape measure printed ribbon underneath, then iron on the reverse.

3 For the back, cut a piece of beige circle print fabric the same size as the front and pin right sides together. Leaving a gap for turning, stitch all the way around. Trim across the corners and turn right side out. Insert a cushion pad and close the gap using slip stitch. To finish, hand sew three shell buttons across the bottom as pictured.