Painted Cushions

Rita Hill used a paintbrush and some fabric paint to transform plain cushions into one-off, hand-painted masterpieces.

Materials

  • cushion
  • cover
  • fabric
  • paint
  • design
  • lead pencil

Instructions

  1. Transfer your chosen pattern to a piece of paper (you could draw your own design, find ideas in a book or magazine, or click here for our hibiscus print template).
  2. Turn the page over and cover the back with lead pencil.
  3. Remove the cushion cover. (Tip: Rita popped an old chopping board inside the cushion cover to make the design transfer easier.)
  4. Place the pattern on top of the cushion cover and trace around the edges of the picture with a blunt pencil. Remove the paper.
  5. Using fabric paint, follow the outline left by the pencil on the cushion cover. (Tip: place some newspaper inside the cushion cover to stop the paint bleeding through.)
  6. Let the paint dry, heat-set with an iron and put the cover back on the cushion.

Further information

Rita picked up the cushions for around $7 (Tip: It is cost effective to buy new cushion covers only and use existing inserts if they are the same size.)

Fabric paint costs about $8, from art shops