It’s February, which means — at least for BUST HQ in Brooklyn — that both the weather and the world can seem dreary and grey. And having some brightness and fun around you can help you feel a little bit brighter. These cute cushion covers definitely fit the bill.
We’re bringing you an excerpt from Tie & Dye: Colorful Clothing, Gifts, And Accessories by Lizzie King; it’s already out in the UK and will be released in the US on March 7th (in the meantime, it’s available for preorder here).
Sunset Cushion Cover
This is one of the easiest projects in the book. I love how this cushion looks like a color gradient from a tropical sunset. It’s perfect for transforming your sofa into somewhere to lay back and dream of summer fun. Of course you don’t have to use sunset colors, but pink and yellow is my all-time favorite color combination.
You will need (to dye one cushion cover)
• 100% white cotton cushion cover (mine is 45 x 45 cm/ 17 3/4 x 17 3/4 in.)
• Elastic bands dye
• Salt
• Spoon
• Jug
• Rubber gloves
• 2 squeezy bottles
• Bucket
• Plastic bag scissors
• Cushion pad dyes (I used 1 Dylon Sunflower Yellow and 1 Dylon Flamingo Pink)
Directions
1. Lay your cushion cover flat on a clean surface. Start to fold it as if you are making a paper fan, flipping the cushion over after each fold. This is an accordion fold. My folds are about 4cm (1 1/2 inch) wide.
2. When the cushion cover is completely folded, find the center of the cushion cover by folding it in half, and put an elastic band tightly around the middle. Now, add two more evenly spaced elastic bands on either side of the central elastic band. If you want more stripes, add more bands.
3. Soak your cushion cover in water, then squeeze out excess water so that it is damp but not dripping wet.
4. Put on your rubber gloves and mix up the dye.
5. Hold the cushion cover over a bucket. Pour the first color dye over one-half of the cushion cover, overlapping the middle elastic band slightly.
6. Now repeat with the second color on the other half, overlapping the middle again to create a third color. In this case, pink + yellow = orange.
7. Lightly squeeze the cushion cover and put it into a plastic bag. Leave in the bag for about 12 hours, then rinse under cold water, snip off the elastic bands, rinse again, and hang up to dry. Wash the cover in the washing machine at 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), then insert a cushion pad once it’s dry. The dye may run a little the first time you wash your cushion cover, so don’t wash it with anything white. After that, the colors will be fixed.
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