cushion cover help

[perigrine]

Hi folks,

 

I found some quilted style 'fronts' for cushion covers at a thrify store last week and nabbed them with the intention of crocheting backs for them. The plan was to use upsized dish cloth patterns that I really liked.

 

All well and good, each 'front' is a 16 inch square, and when I started the first back last night I chained "enough" to go from one side to the other, worked the first row and found it to be a bit short, so I chained up the starting tail and incorporated that into it as well [extra 7 chains]. I was congratulating myself on this short cut and worked happily away for about six pattern rows - THEN decided to check the size of the back against the front. [Ya'll remember the proverb about pride going before a fall, right?] I found to my horror that what should of been a just right size back was now about two inches too short!

 

Not wanting to frog the product of an hours labor, I decided to keep going and when I finish I'll just do enough rows around the edge to make up the diff. I figure that I will have to hem the front a bit anyway. Have I mentioned I hate sewing?

 

So, the question I have is, how do I get a crocheted cushion back the same size as the fabric front?

 

TIA

[hudelei]

You know, I tried a vintage shawl pattern once that said I should make a chain, and it gave a number of stitches, and then work a row, stopping when it was x inches long. Then it said rip out the rest of the chain. I have never seen that in any modern patterns, but you know, it might be good for something like your cushion problem.

[perigrine]

... should make a chain, and it gave a number of stitches, and then work a row, stopping when it was x inches long. Then it said rip out the rest of the chain.

 

I had been thinking about starting the pattern with a row of sc to form a 'border' or something, but negated that idea and just went to the pattern.

 

Will try your suggestion for the next one and see how that works out.

[Aggie May]

If your cushion top is a square, why not do the back as a square starting at the centre, then when you get to the size you need, you can do the last round smaller or larger to make it fit. :think

If you are trying to make it by the row, you will find that it either gets bigger or smaller depending on the stitch you are doing.

I usually recommend, to make the chain longer than needed then un-pick the chain back to where you stopped. It will not pull back but will, with patience, un-pick. Cut off all bt about 6 sts so you dont have so much to do. :cheer

Have fun.

Colleen

[perigrine]

If your cushion top is a square, why not do the back as a square starting at the centre, then when you get to the size you need, you can do the last round smaller or larger to make it fit.

Have fun.

Colleen

 

Well, doing it the 'chain and do a row first' didn't work. First back looked ok, second one, even though it was the 'right size' at the first row, ended up too long by the fourth.

 

So I gave up on the idea to do pretty dish cloth pattern backs and am now going to do boring old granny squares. All the prettier ones seem to require fiddling about with color changes, ( I want plain backs ) and are much too small. Does someone know of prettier squares than can be made to a 16 inch square?