Australian Homespun — June 2017

Diagram 5

wrong side of

cushion back

rectangles

See Diagram 4. Press the seam

open.

22

Centre the zipper teeth under

the basted section of the seam

with the zipper pull at the start of the

basting; the right side of the zipper

should be facing the wrong side of the

cushion back. Pin it in place. Fit the

zipper foot to the machine and stitch

(^11) ⁄ 4 in away from the zipper teeth in
a rectangle the length of the basted
section, being careful not to break the
needle as you sew across the ends.
Refer to Diagram 5.
23
Unpick the basting to reveal
the zipper – it should be centred
under the opening and work normally.
Trim the other end of the zipper^1 ⁄ 2 in
from the end of the stitched rectangle
so it doesn’t interfere with the seam.
24
Repeat Steps 21-23 for the
other cushion back.
1in 1in
½in
Diagram 4
HELEN’S HOOP
TIPS Use an embroidery
hoop – not just to help with tension
and precision, but particularly for
your physical health. It prevents
stress and tension in your hand,
wrist, elbow, shoulder and neck.
I want to be stitching to the end
of my natural life and don’t want
to be stopped by carpal tunnel
problems, bad shoulder, tennis
elbow and other ailments caused
by poor posture, repetitive strain
or other tension issues.
HELEN’S
PERFECTION TIP
Enjoy the process. If it’s not
perfect, wait until you’ve finished
the project and, if that one bad
stitch still hits you in the eye,
take it out and redo it, but don’t
stress about perfection. It’s
about the enjoyment of the
process, and most times, once
you’ve finished and have a sense
of accomplishment, you won’t
even be able to find that one
dodgy stitch that bothered you.
05
PROJECT