Have you ever wondered about ordering a bespoke cushion from me – something meaningful to you, made to your own specifications?

I’m always telling people to get in touch with their specific requirements… Sometimes they’re looking for a particular animal that I haven’t tackled yet. Or a particular breed of dog. Sometimes they’re after something I’ve made in the past, but don’t have in stock when they ask. Other times they know they want a cushion featuring, say, a fox, but they need it in colours to co-ordinate with their existing furnishings, rather than the ones I have in stock.

I give them my business card and tell them to drop me a line to discuss their requirements. And sometimes they do… But often I don’t hear anything further.

So, I thought it might be useful to document how the process works – to take away some of the fear and uncertainty and give people confidence when ordering a bespoke cushion.

1. What’s going to be on the cushion?

It always starts with the subject – this might be an animal type (frog? pangolin?? honey badger???) or it might be your pet – in which case I’m going to need a photo or two! (And it doesn’t have to be an animal – in the past I’ve made cushions featuring flowers, cars and people!)

At this point I will check to see if it’s an animal (or subject) I’ve made before. If it is, I’ll locate photos of previous cushions featuring that animal. If not, we’ll need a new design. In either case I’ll send you a response (hopefully quite quickly) which should include an idea of price and timescale. (To be honest the requirement for a new design doesn’t really affect the price, as I aim to be able to re-use most designs at some point in the future).

At time of writing (August 2021) the price is likely to be somewhere between £45 and £55 for a single animal on a cushion. No payment is required upfront. I only take payment when the cushion is completed to your satisfaction.

2. The design

If we’re using an existing design, I’ll just get you to confirm that you’re happy with the one I have. (Take a look in my gallery to get some ideas). If the design is a new one, then I’ll get drawing… and erasing and re-drawing… and eventually I’ll send you a first draft.

I’ll ask you to be brutally honest with your feedback. Should it have a longer nose? or smaller ears?? Are you happy with the orientation of your animal? Should it be front-facing rather than sideways on? Is it taking up enough of the cushion front? Did you want to see more of the body? (I’m always hoping not – feet seem to be a problem area for me!)

Depending on what you say there may be re-drafts… Until we reach something you’re happy with.

3. Fabric choices

For the animal, I will often suggest something naturalistic – by which I mean animal-like colours. I still try to use as many different patterns and textures as I can find within that colour palette. Then I’ll cut your animal out of fabric and assemble him or her – usually on a piece of plain paper, so you can check you’re happy with it. I can still change any of the fabric pieces at this stage.

Next it’s the fun bit – choosing a background. I’ve got literally hundreds of different pieces of fabric we could use. Hopefully you’ll have given me an idea of what you’re after – blues? florals?? something geometric??? If not, I’ll just send a selection of things I think work well with your animal and we’ll take it from there. We might need to go back and forwards several times before we find something you love.

4. Assembly and payment

Once you’ve made your decisions, it’s all down to me to sew your cushion cover together. Of course, we do also need to select a fabric for the cushion back, but I usually restrict this to something a little plainer and offer a choice of half a dozen (or so) options. Once all the sewing’s done, I’ll send you a photo of the completed cushion, and – if you’re happy with it – request payment. If you’re not happy, you can walk away at this stage (or at any stage throughout the process). I’ll probably still complete the cushion, but just put it up for sale to the general public via my etsy store.

I think that covers everything. If you’ve got any questions, stick them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. Maybe I’ll hear from you about ordering your own bespoke cushion one day!