Dancing Girls Cushion

This dancing girls cushion has been much admired in our home! It reminds me of the paper dolls I used to make and decorate as a child. I think there’s still marker stains on my parent’s coffee table! It was great fun to sew and my daughters and I loved choosing all the little dresses for the different girls. My daughters even named each one!

This large patchwork cushion is approximately 22″ square, and has a simple envelope back. The applique girls are surrounded with a simply pieced, choppy border which gives the cushion a scrappy, vintage look.

The background is a linen mix that I got from my local quilt shop. The fabric is similar in weight to cotton and doesn’t crease so much as pure linen. You don’t have to be following this blog for long to realise I have a bit of a linen ‘thing’ going on! I love linen’s texture and the way the colours of the cotton glow against the linen.

I started this cushion shortly before Christmas, and then Christmas happened, and I had to Do Stuff. My sewing room became a dining room and my sewing machine was relegated to a corner where it sulked throughout the holidays. I finally finished this cushion off a few weeks ago and my daughter’s lengthy negotiations over who gets the cushion have been concluded. The Middle One got it.

I considered adding tiny buttons to the girls dresses but in the end I liked the naïve style of the bare foot girls and their simple dresses.

For the quilting, I free motion quilted swirls and hearts in the corners. Next I added a flower motif in the centre because the Middle One talked me into it.

Additionally, I outline quilted around the girls and having done all of this, I wondered whether it was even necessary!

If you compare the finished cushion with the cushion top, you can decide for yourself! Certainly though the design doesn’t require involved quilting if you’re looking for a quick make!