Limelight Citrus Throw Pillows

Comment

Add a little zest to your home décor with these colorful fruit slice cushions. Complete in lemon and lime designs, these bright and playful throw pillows from designer Sophie Tarrant make us think of cocktails and afternoons spent poolside. This citrus-themed sewing project is recommended for easy level sewing, so it’s a great choice for beginners looking to expand their skills. Combine simple felt shapes and easy sewing techniques to make these super-quick pillows in a single afternoon.

Skill Level: Easy

Finished Size: 13”

Seam Allowances: 5/8”

Designer Notes:

How to Make a Circle Template: To make the main Front and Back pieces of these cushions, you’ll need to first make a circular 14” template from paper or card. To do this, tie a length of string to a pencil, then measure out 7” of length. Secure the other end of the string to the center of the paper or card, then pull the pencil taut on the string and drag it around in a circle to draw the shape. Cut this out to create your template!
The designer wanted to make sure that their cushions stayed nice and plump and kept their shape, so they backed the main Front and Back fabrics with medium-weight fusible interfacing before stitching the design together. This step isn’t necessary, but you can add interfacing to your cushion if you’d like.

Materials:

Fabric: cotton, lemon yellow and lime green, half a yard of each
Felt: golden yellow and lime green, one 12” square of each; off-white, half a yard
Sewing thread: yellow, white, and green
Zipper: yellow, 14” (Note: If you would like the zipper to be less noticeable [such as on the lemon pillow back], you may use an invisible zipper)
Toy stuffing
PDF templates – These are located at the bottom of this page.
- Note: When downloading this pattern, we recommend opening your pattern download using Adobe Acrobat.

Tools:

Pencil
Dressmaker’s shears
Ruler
Pins
Sewing needle
Sewing machine

Instructions:

LEMON SLICE CUSHION:

Begin by cutting the pattern pieces from fabric and felt. For the main Front and Back of the cushion, draw and cut two 14” circles from yellow cotton, using the method described in the designer notes above. Draw and cut out a 12.5” circle from off-white felt using the same method (this time, pulling the string out by 6.25”). Finally, cut six Segments from golden yellow felt and three Seeds from off-white felt, using the templates provided.
Lay the off-white felt circle out flat, then place the six golden yellow felt Segments on top of it, making sure they are equally spaced out. Pin them into place, then work a machine top stitch around the edge of each segment in bright yellow thread, to secure them.
Place the three felt Seeds down onto the golden yellow Segments, again spacing them out equally. Pin each one into position then top stitch around the edge of each Seed using white thread to secure them.
With the embellishments complete, it’s time to make the cushion Front. Lay one of the 14” circles of yellow cotton out flat, then place the embellished felt lemon down on top of it. Make sure it is positioned in the center of the fabric, then pin and top stitch around the edge of the off-white felt to hold the design in place.
Make the cushion Back. Take the second 14” cotton circle, and cut it in half. Pin a yellow 14” zipper down the center of the work (attaching one half of the zipper to each side of the cushion Back) and stitch into position, bringing the two halves of the circle back together.
Lay the cushion Front piece down flat, with the right (embellished) side facing upwards. Open the zipper of the cushion Back halfway, and lay it on top of the Front with right sides facing, making sure the edges of the fabric align and the ends of the zipper are held together. Pin, then stitch all around the edge of the cushion, leaving a 5/8” seam allowance. Snip into the seam allowance, then turn right sides out through the open zip and press gently all over. Fill with stuffing (or insert a 14” cushion pad) then close the zipper to finish.

LIME WEDGE CUSHION:

Start by cutting the pattern pieces from fabric and felt. For the main cushion Outer, cut a 14” circle from lime green cotton, using the method described in the designer notes above. Draw and cut a 12.5” circle from off-white felt using the same method (this time, pulling the string out by 6.25”). Finally, cut six Segments from lime green felt and three Seeds from off-white felt, using the templates provided.
Fold the off-white circle in half and run a finger along the folded edge, to lightly crease it. Lay it out flat once again, then position the six lime green Segments onto the circle, making sure to leave a slightly larger gap between them on either side of the folded crease. Pin, then top stitch each one into position with lime green thread. Add the three off-white Seeds to the segments in the same way, pinning and then top stitching into place, this time with white thread.
Assemble the design. Lay the 14” circle of lime green cotton out flat, then place the embellished felt lime down on top of it. Make sure it is positioned in the center of the fabric, then pin and top stitch around the edge of the off-white felt to hold the design in place.
Fold the work in half along the crease made in Step 2, with right sides facing. Pin, then machine stitch along the open edge with a 5/8” seam allowance, making sure to leave a 3” gap at one end. Turn the work right sides out through the gap, then fill the cushion with stuffing. Once plump, bring the two edges of the gap together and hand stitch closed using ladder stitch.