Place Mat Scatter Cushions
I have a confession to make; I’m addicted to scatter cushions – rich, colourful, gloriously textured cushions will be my downfall. I’ve been looking for emerald green cushions for our lounge but just couldn’t seem find to find the right ones. They were either too plain, too big or not the right shade of green. Oh well, ‘n boervrou maak ‘n plan. I found some bootiful place mats at Mr P Home that were the right size and the lacy crochet design really appealed to me, now all I needed to do was change the colour. Lady Dye to the rescue. They offer hot and cold water dyes that come in a wide variety of colours. Finally I had what I needed to make some scatter cushions.
What you need:
- 2 Mr P Cotton place mats (most dyes work best on natural fabrics)
- 1 old cushion
- Lady Dye fabric dyeing kit (I chose Fir Green)
- Salt
- Sewing machine
The Lady Dye kit comes with easy to follow instructions on how to dye fabric, so I won’t bore you with the details. I simply took the place mats and the old cushion cover and gave them a quick wash to get rid of any dirt and then prepared the dye according to the instructions.
Remember to stir often
Dunk the place mats and cushion cover into the dye and use a mixing spoon or wooden stick to press the fabric completely under the water. Give it a good stir every 5 minutes. Add the fixative if you want your cushions to be fade and wash resistant, and then stir some more. Stir again just in case. Leave the place mats in the dye for about 45 minutes and then rinse until the water is clear. A lot of dye will come out as you rinse the fabric. Don’t worry that’s normal.
Hang them up to dry
Hang the place mats and cushion cover up to dry. Love, love, love the colour!!! Remember to wear gloves. Dyeing is a messy business – I ended up looking like Shrek for about two days.
To make the scatter cushions, cut the dyed cushion cover in half to make the back of the scatter cushions. I wanted to keep those beautiful scalloped edges so I pinned and sewed the back in such a way that they wouldn’t be lost.
Pin the cushion cover to the back of the place mat
Leave a small opening on one side and stuff the scatter cushion and then sew closed.
Add some felt flowers and they’re done. Rich, vibrant emerald green scatter cushions with loads of texture and old world charm.
I want to dye some stuff and I have read every instruction you gave but I want know how hot must the water be and how many liters of water can be used? I have Lady Dye cold water dye
Hi Bonita, you need 1 liter of boiling water per sachet or tin of Lady Dye. Mix the dye in the boiling water and then dissolve 4 tablespoons of salt to the mix. The salt helps fix the dye and distribute it evenly through the mix. Just make sure you mix the salt well and it dissolves completely. Once you mix is ready add enough cold water to cover whatever you need to dye. You can add up to 2.5 to 3 liters of cold water to the mix but if it’s a big piece of fabric you may need more than one sachet or tin. Hope that helps