Pretty cushion cover and bolster patterns or ideas?

[Smokering]

I have three square cushion covers embroidered by MIL for the living room sofa, but I feel like a change. I want to make new covers for the cushion inners she used, and I have two bolster inners somewhere around as well; but I could buy some more inners if anyone has any fantastic ideas for round pillows or whatever.

I'm planning to chiefly use fabric left over from my wedding dress: it's beautiful 'champagne' (creamish to the untutored eye!) slightly slubby, um, silky stuff? Shantung? Dupion? Don't ask me, Mum made the dress! I love the fabric, and how it looks contrasted with my brown leather couch.

So, any patterns or ideas for lovely cushion covers? I don't want to make just boring old square covers, but something pretty. I saw a lovely cushion in Laura Ashley that was round and had a ruffle of gauzey fabric sewn in a spiral on the front so the whole thing looked like a rose - hard to describe, but does anyone know what I'm talking about? I'd like to keep the cushions plain cream, I think, but don't mind adding non-wedding dress fabric to it (might have to anyway, I don't have a huge amount): so I could add buttons, lace, other bits of textured cream-coloured fabric or whatever. I like texture!

Any ideas?

[vbactivist]

No idea, but OT: I just looked at your blog - it's great!

[Smokering]

Aww, thanks! I think you're my first official reader who isn't related by blood or marriage.

I'm in the middle of making my first cushion. I'd forgotten how much fabric ruffles use! I'm gonna have to buy some more wedding dress fabric, assuming I can still get hold of it - I got married more than two years ago! My cushion is fairly plain, just a 'blank' front with one little square inset and two strips of ribbon going down past it; and a big ol' ruffle around the edge. The inset square was made using a neat trick Mum showed me... you make lots of pintucks side-by-side on a piece of fabric. Then you sew a line across the top of them, securing them down... and then iron them so they're facing the other way, sew another seam an inch or so under the first one to hold them the 'wrong' way down.., and then press them back the first way, and so on and so on. Basically you keep forcing the pintucks to flip over and face the other way, so they kinda zigzag down the fabric. It's hard to explain, but it looks lovely - sort of like fake smocking! I can't wait to try it on baby clothes; it'd be cute for pockets or a 'smocked' chest panel or something.

I'm going shopping this afternoon to buy some lace and piping cord and bits of bling. These are gonna be the girliest cushions ever! (And of course it only just occurred to me that having a baby and cream cushions in the same house is a sensationally dumb idea.... sigh...)