Custom Window Seat Cushion: Carrie’s Kitchen

This was a fun custom fabric project, tweaking the colors of my Pointillist Stripes pattern for a kitchen window seat cushion.

Awhile ago, I received a note from Carrie, who had spotted the pattern on Spoonflower and asked if I’d be willing to adjust the colors. I asked for a photo of the kitchen, thinking I’d be matching an existing theme.

“No, there’s nothing right now that I’m exactly trying to match,” she replied “I just like those colors. I had a fruit basket containing oranges, bananas, and green pears and it looked really nice.”

As many shades of yellow as there are in a banana, I had never thought about how universal those colors really can be. Carrie’s Fruit Bowl (and that’s what I decided to name the final product) was at least as good as a Pantone® color chip.

The big test was to see how the colors would look on fabric. To save time and money, I combined two colorways on a single 8×8″ swatch, which she ordered from Spoonflower ($5 plus shipping; It can take up to two weeks to receive an order).

While the colors look really vibrant in the example at left, they don’t necessarily print as brightly. I used the Color Map, a yard of labeled color squares you can order from Spoonflower, as a guide. Also, different fabrics will take colors differently. My map is on quilting cotton and Carrie’s swatch would be printed on upholstery fabric. That’s another important reason to take the time to run a test.

With her swatch in hand, Carrie was able to request a final adjustment and move to the next step: the full fabric order. This is where Jessi stepped in.

Jessi and her mom have teamed up to run a sewing service through Etsy. Jessi sews well, but as the busy mom of small children, has opted to manage the shop while her mom, with 30+ years of sewing experience, does most of the sewing. They focus on bench and window seat cushions, but have also produced (from what I see on the shop) some beautiful tablecloths and throw pillows.

I’m really delighted by the results, that is, both Jessi’s mom’s (Jessi, how about a name? 🙂 ) craftswomanship and Carrie’s great color sense. The sunny colors of the window seat cushion bring out the warmth of the wood interior beautifully.

NOTE 1: There was some fading in the first wash. I checked the Spoonflower site and they have a page that addresses the issue here.

NOTE 2: Photos of the finished bench cushion graciously provided by Carrie.