Giant Mandala Finish

Last week I finished the giant mandala cushion. Today I will explain the rest of the process of making it.

Here's a picture of how I sewed the back to the front (how I made the back is my previous blog post). The pin will match up with the peak of the red shell behind it. By measuring the peaks when I made the back, I was able to ensure that the front of the cushion was even and symmetric.

To make the stuffing, I used an old blanket that I was going to give to the cat shelter. There was nothing really wrong with the blanket except it had been mended a couple of times, and we got a new one. I procrastinated the trip to the cat shelter for a few years, which was lucky. I washed it at the laundromat and cut two large and two small circles.

I sewed the small circles to the large ones first, then sewed the two large ones together along the wider seam allowance. That way I didn't have to sew four thick pieces together. I left a gap, turned it inside out and sewed the gap closed by hand.

It was easy to stuff because of the velcro closure. I had thought I would have to tack the blanket pieces together, but it lay nice and flat, so I left it as it was.

The picture below shows its thickness.

Another picture.

I love the middle. I sent it on its way to San Francisco for Kate Vercillo's Mandalas for Marinke project.