Longbow’s Cushion Covers

One of my main jobs during the Longbow refit was to reupholster all of the 7 bunk cushions for the boat. The old ones were made out of a fake leather fabric that had been badly damaged by damp.

The fist job was to pick a new fabric and order it. After going though book after book I narrowed it down to just a few and finally picked my favourite. I went for a biscuit/ beige colour which sounds boring but it needed to be fairly light as very little natural light gets in the boat. I chose a two tone textured surface to combat the issue of dirt and spillages.

The next task was to unpick all of the old covers I order to get a template for the new ones. This proved to be a time consuming process but was worth it in the end.

I then started cutting out the new fabric, I first layer the old one on top and pinned it down.

The next challenge was to sew a zip in, I had found these great zips that come on a reel  – you can cut them to whatever length and just slide a zipper on. I created a flap either side of the zip to hide it from view and make it look professional.

Once this was done the indiviual pieces then had to be pinned together before sewn on the machine. I used an extra strong sewing thread to make the cushions long lasting. I sewed all the way around leaving no gap but making sure you leave the zip open a jar to it was be turned round.

After the final trip of loose threads and any excess fabric the cushions where ready to be stuffed.

  

The next job was to move them onto the boat – the fore cabin ones were the first to be put in there new home.

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