A Homemade Throw

It is no secret that I love to sew textiles for my home. Recently I made a new linen throw for my living room couch.

This white couch gets a ton of use. It is slipcovered in white denim. Some cringe when they hear "white couch" but I can tell you that a washable white slipcover is durable as hell, because, well...hot water, oxyclean and bleach.

This does not mean, however, that a person doesn't grow tired of removing the covers and throwing them in the wash. That can be extremely tedious, so I like to have a cover for the seat cushions for all the dirty feet and eating that happens here -that way I can extend the time in between whole slipcover washings. I've used a bunch of different covers over the years -a suzani, a homemade topper, a wool blanket. 

I had the remnants of a roll of linen left over from this kitchen towel dying and sewing project. I didn't want the throw to look like a simple bedsheet, and I had the width of the fabric (54") to contend with, so I decided that the best approach would be to make panels sewn with a decorative stitch. Based on the width of the fabric, and how much I had left, I cut the lengths into 4 equal widths.

I sewed the panels together (using white thread) with a 3/8" seam and pressed it open.

I then folded each side of the seam allowance in half, (with the cut edge tucked under), pressed it and pinned it in place.

Then I stitched it in place with blue thread. This type of seam allows the item to be reversible, so I can flip it when it gets dirty.

This is the front side.

I also chose to use the contrasting blue stitching for the seam along the edge.

I made it large enough so that I can tuck the ends in under the cushions. I really like the look of the seams. I realize that this application would also look great on a duvet cover or pillow. 

Cheers.