Seahorse Cushion and Hanging Decoration

These cute, coral seahorses are ideal for summer. Add this stylish pillow and complementary hanging decoration to your little one’s room for an instantlift. The cushion even has a removable cover for easy cleaning, so you don’t need to worry about it getting ruined. We’ve used the beautiful French Cottage fabric range from Gütermann, which is also available in other colourways if you prefer. This pair is quick and easy to make, and creating the cushion’s vent is a great opportunity to perfect your pattern matching.

Essentials

Fabric: G?termann, Ring a Roses, French
Cottage, Ornament Pink; Garden Pink, 40cm x 90cm of each; Animals Pink; Toile Pink,
fat quarter of each; curtain lining, cream, 80cm x 180cm Wadding Toy stuffing Buttons, black, 1cm, two
Ribbon, orange, narrow, 30cm
Beads: purple, wooden, 1.5cm; seed, pink
Ric rac: light pink, 20cm; orange, 35cm Sequins, pink

Dimensions List

Cushion: 30cm x 55cm
Seahorse decoration: 15cm x 23cm

Make a cushion

Download the templates, print and cut out. Trim two large seahorses from cream lining fabric. Pin the pieces together and machine stitch around the shape, leaving a 9cm gap at the stomach. Turn through the opening and press. Stuff the seahorse until nicely rounded, and hand sew up the gap.
Cut a 38cm square from Ornament fabric. Press a double 1cm hem at one edge, pin and machine stitch into place. Place the hemmed edge over the remaining fabric, matching up the pattern as you do so and making sure that it overlaps by 7cm. Create another double hem at the raw edge of the lower piece. Place the top hem over the bottom one, matching up the pattern, and pin.
Pin the seahorse template to the fabric, placing the break line as indicated on the pattern, and cut out the shape. Cut a reversed seahorse from Garden fabric, then cut one fin and one reversed fin from Toile fabric, and one from wadding. Place the fabric fins together with right sides facing, and then the wadding on top.
Secure the fin layers together and machine stitch around the shape, leaving the straight edge open. Turn out. Draw radiating lines across the fin and topstitch through all the layers in a contrasting thread. Pin the fin to the right side of the body, facing inwards, as indicated on the pattern. Tack into place.
Stitch orange ric rac across the neck of one seahorse piece. Sew on sequins and pink seed beads along the length. Repeat for the other body piece. Sew black buttons onto each side of the face for eyes. With right sides facing, pin the two body pieces together and machine stitch, sewing twice over the edges of the opening. Turn out and press. Pull the cover over the seahorse cushion.

Sew a seahorse decoration

Using the template provided, cut a small seahorse from Toile fabric and a reversed one from Animals. Pin and stitch ric rac to the neck of the seahorse on each piece. Sew sequins and seed beads along the length.
Cut out one small fin from Ornament, a reversed version from Garden, and one from wadding. Place the fabric fins together with right sides facing, then place the wadding on top. Pin the layers together and machine stitch around the shape, leaving the straight edge open. Turn out and stitch radiating lines across the fin as before.
Tack the fin to the right side of the body, facing inwards. Fold over 30cm of narrow, orange ribbon and tack to the inside of the head, also facing inwards. With right sides facing, pin the body pieces together and machine stitch around the shape, leaving a 6cm gap at the stomach. Turn the seahorse out and press, then stuff lightly and hand stitch up the gap. Thread a wooden bead onto the ribbon and secure with a knot to finish.