Kokeshi cushion

I have finished another UFO! This one dates from 2018.

My April goal was to turn this kokeshi panel into a cushion. I made it originally as a humidicrib cover with fabric remnants I had bought in Japan, but when the hospital advised that they did not want any more humidicrib covers, I changed the plan into a cushion.

I was so happy when I found the Japanese scrap packs.

I hand quilted it during April and early May, wearing a hole in my thumbnail in the process. Despite the wear and tear on my hands, you cannot easily see the perle 8 quilting from the front. I used a sashiko template to create subtle cherry blossom designs in the background, and I quilted in the ditch around the dolls.

The quilting design is visible on the inside of the cushion.

For once, I tapered the corners of the cushion to avoid ‘ears’. I had quilted quite close to the edges so was only able to taper about ¾ inch, but that was plenty to give it a neat finish.

Without the cushion insert in place, you can see how I have tapered the cushion corners to avoid ‘ears’.

Adding some red piping around the edge and a zipper to the back turned it into a finished cushion cover. I then threw it into the washing machine to remove the markings I had used while quilting it.

A simple zipper opening on the back makes for easy removal for washing.

How I finish cushions, including my go-to zipper assembly and corner tapering tricks, is explained in an blog post about cushion assembly.

The fabric remnants I bought in Japan feature cherry blossoms and rabbits.

If you are interested in the doll pattern, it is only a couple of dollars and available from Blossom Heart Quilts. It would be an easy introduction to foundation paper piecing if you have not tried it before.

This simple cushion took me two years to make but is finally done. Hurrah! My UFO tally for 2020 is four.