We are in the process of designing a new outdoor decking area and while we are still in the early stages I’m already obsessing over the final (read fun and pretty) details. One thing we will definitely need is a load of lovely outdoor cushions. I am expecting we will be spending a lot of time out on the deck over summer, so I want lots of comfy places to sit myself. Perfect for spending an afternoon with a book or some embroidery.

I have had a few jumbo cushion inserts hiding in my stash for a few years so when Spoonflower* asked if I’d like to use some of their fabric for something fun, I knew instantly that it would be outdoor cushions. As part of a collection for Spoonflower showcasing Australian makers, they have kindly provided me with their Eco Canvas which is perfect for the job. It’s made from 45% recycled materials which give it a nice big planet friendly tick and that makes it great in my book. I’m always trying to find ways to be environmentally friendly when sewing. The colours are lovely and vibrant on the Eco Canvas and the printing is crisp too.

Spoonflower have kindly offered you, my lovely readers a coupon code too so you can join in the fun. Use the code ABBYTFB10 and you’ll receive 10% off any of their fabrics. The code is valid until 15/07/2018.

I did consider designing my own fabric, which I have done in the past (see here and here), but browsing through the designs already on Spoonflower I found so many I loved that I ended up choosing this cute budgie print by an Australian Spoonflower designer. I was looking for something bright and fun and this print fit the bill. It’ll give me a lot of choices when it comes to colour coordinating the rest of the decor too.

Have you made cushion covers before? I haven’t done any for ages and I forgot how easy they were! I whipped these up in less than two hours. The canvas is nice and sturdy so it’s a dream to cut and sew. My rotary cutter blade is a little dull but it didn’t have any trouble cutting through the fabric. There was one tiny fault in the fabric (a little bobble in the thread) which had caused a little spot of the fabric to not get printed on. I coloured it in with a fabric marker and can’t see it anymore.

I found these Adirondack style chairs out on the street in someone’s rubbish pile. I have no idea why they were getting rid of them, because they’re in very good condition. One man’s trash and all that… I find them a little deep to sit on, and these jumbo cushions fill the gap perfectly! The cushions are very nice to sit with. The Eco Canvas is great because it doesn’t wrinkle so the cushions look great even after sitting on them for a while. Since I mostly sew clothing, I tend to choose fabrics with natural fibres, but in this case synthetic is the way to go.

The boys love the new ‘birdy cushions’ too and keep running off with them.What’s mine is theirs, huh?!

*This post was made in collaboration with Spoonflower. I was provided the fabric for this project. All thoughts and opinions are my own.