What the???
Has some random dude taken over the SewBusyLizzy blogging space??
Fear not! This is perhaps my most random and left-of-field project to date! Yes, weirder than my aprons (although no Harbour Bridge or Opera House). I’m OK with that (even if you are freaking out right now!). I swear there are pretty dresses just around the blogging corner, just bear with me.
Ages and ages ago I blogged that I had a huge pile of men’s shirts that were too good to throw out but I didn’t know what to do with them. Lots of people made great suggestions but I didn’t feel motivated. I just have plenty of gorgeous fabric in my stash!
I left the pile of shirts in the corner of the lounge room for… errrrr…. some time….
Then as I was cleaning up the loungeroom and moaning about the grotty cushion covers, I had the oddest idea.
No I didn’t think about WASHING the covers – that would have been boring and not involve sewing. Dur.
I looked at the shirts and I looked at the cushions. And THE MAN CUSHION was born.
MAN CUSHIONS!
It’s not a design masterpiece. It’s not even a sewing masterpiece. And I don’t care. Yes as outrageous as that is – I don’t. They are fun to make, cheap to make and hugely useful!
This is just DIY home decor for zilch expenditure.
As it turns out… they are rather cute set – in a checkered/manly kinda way and the kids love them. They have pockets which you can store all manner of things in. The remote control, your favourite toy, notes and more. I know, this is revolutionary! Home decor with pockets. I am a sewing rock star!! (Pause for the street parade, confetti, trumpets and presentation of the key to the city).
The best thing of all with this mindlessly simple project is the cushion cover has a built-in opening – you do not need to make a buttonhole, stitch on a button or insert a zip. Yes people, it’s already there! (More celebration and accolades). Are you sold yet?
Here goes the most obvious sewing tutorial in the history of sewing blogs…
SewBusyLizzy gives you THE MAN CUSHION…
Step 1: The Man Shirt. Iron it first (yes, painful but it makes life easier)
Step 2: Layout options. This is my plan for Man Cushion No. 5. Yes radical button placement.
Step 2: Layout options. I’ve decided to make the buttons off-centre for this Man Cushion. This saves unpicking the pocket and re-sewing it. If you centre the buttons, you will find that the pocket ends up in the seamline of the cushion. You also need to be mindful of the armhole seams, buttons and collar/neck when deciding your placement.
Step 3: Cutting out the cover. Use your old cushion cover as a guide. Remembering to add 5/8 inch all around for your seams.
Step 4: Now place the two pieces, right sides together and pin around the edges. If you like the tags, unpick them and sandwich them between the pieces with the raw edges matching.
Step 5: sewing it together. Don’t forget to remove the pins as you go. There is no need to pivot at the corners, just sew from end to end – you can even run off the end if you are feeling crazy. I don’t worry about pins when I make these cushions covers but if you are not an experienced stitcher you might feel more confident if you pin all around the edges of the cushion first. You can double stitch the seams if you think they need reinforcing.
Step 6: Finished! Now just undo the buttons and slip in your cushion insert….
Note: I used contrasting thread so you could see the stitching. I also ran this through the overlocker for the sake of neatness this is not necessary.
Man Cushion Complete! Some of the ‘finer’ details…
The Man Cushion Family. We have a brown leather couch. It’s boring but a heaven-sent when you have small messy children!
I have visions of these in a Hawaiian shirt series, cowboy-style with press studs, a lumberjack-style flannelette set and more. How cool would these be in a holiday house, a man cave or for your camping/picnic set?It’s perfect use for those old business shirts with slightly stained collars and cuffs because you just chop them off, beloved shirts that are really past wearing in public but can’t bear to part with – give them a new useful life!
You could get fancy and sew trim into the seams, put the buttons at the back – either way I just prefer the kookiness of these as they are. It’s quite hilarious when people sit down, stuff a cushion behind their back, pull it back out and go ‘hey… is this… like a shirt or something??‘.
Miss 9 loves these so much, I got a large female shirt from the charity/op shop and some old fancy serviettes (it had no chest pocket – outrageous, wardrobe discrimination!). I’m working on a girly version for her bed. Watch this space….
And I WILL draw that McCalls jacket pattern giveaway this weekend. I will!!
Sew Busy Lizzy 
Wickedly ingenious!
Thanks! I know they are simple but I’m rather in love with them!!
Dam! Should not have taken those man shirts to the op shop late last year… I justified it with a “I’ve got so much lovely fabric in my stash and no inspiration of what to do with these shirts”. Little then did I know about MAN CUSHIONS…
LOL. I was on the verge of doing the same. Two hours later I had a set of MAN CUSHIONS!
Fantastic idea!!! You truly deserve the “street parade, confetti, trumpets and presentation of the key to the city”! I have some of these lurking in the “fix it and finish it” bag in my cupboard… wonder what husband will say if he finds his shirts are now cushions……
If he’s comfortable on the couch with the remote in easy reaching distance (and easy to find) he won’t say a word!
what bloke isn’t comfortable on the couch, with remote in easy reaching distance! hahaha
Love this – and the built in pocket makes them even better! Hmmm, I have some worn cushions on the couch in my basement. I think I need to check out what’s in my husband’s closet later today.
LOL the poor charity shops will never receive a man’s shirt again! Enjoy – I love making these and deciding how to cut them up to make a cushion. Fun sewing project!
I actually love this idea, thanks for sharing!!!
Yes, it’s weird & cheap but it works. I did hesitate thinking ‘is this good enough to share?’ However it’s functional, practical & fun. Ticks a lot of boxes!
Hilarious and creative! The pocket for the flipper is the work of true genius 🙂
And truly well used!
Very cute and clever! Thanks for sharing the idea and the detailed tutorial. I’m looking forward to seeing the girly shirt version, too.
I think the girly shirt version is a ‘today job’. I’ve got soooo many sewing things to do at the moment, including tracing four patterns!
Simply brilliant! Love it!
Thanks!
What a great idea! I am happy to have come across your blog, I am your newest follower. 🙂
Feel free to steal the idea 🙂 and ‘hello’ 🙂
LOVE!!! 🙂
Me too! Thank you
Ha! What a fun idea! And now I know what to do with one of hubby’s favorite shirts that is starting to show its age around the collar/cuffs. 🙂
It’s perfect for that! Sorry I have yet to come up with an idea to deal with grotty old underpants men refuse to part with LOL
Wait….you mean that my hubby isn’t the only one who does that?!?! 😯 my tricks for getting rid of them are 1) cut the elastic off (oopsie!) and 2) throw them away when he’s not home and then stuff them WAY down in the trash bin if necessary. 😉
LOL you meanie 😉
OMG!! What a brilliant idea! I love the remote control in the pocket.
It’s fun isn’t it!
Love it. I’m totally stealing this idea.
Go for it!
Love love love them. I love the pocket and that you left the tags show on the denim one. I never thought of that. I made a similar project with a vintage Hawaiian shirt last spring, they were a big hit. I was actually in Value Village (our goodwill) yesterday looking for a container for a fairy garden with no luck. So while I was there I looked for another Hawaiian shirt, again no luck. I think they are getting too popular. Nice way to re-purpose a shirt and I love the ‘kookiness’ too Lizzy, awesome.
Great minds think alike!
I’ve been searching for Hawaiian shirts too and yet to find any. I’m hoping the school fete this year provides me with some!
Just flipping Awesome!
Thanks – I just keep making them. Weirdly addictive.
These are brilliant! I love it.
Thank you!
Love this – especially the pocket for the remote. Great idea.
Thank you – best of all… easy to make!
It’s a great idea. I have to say it wouldn’t work in our house only because shirts get worn past any part being able to be retrieved for such wear-intense activities as cushion covers (yes, even the button bands have usually been mended several times). Also, and this is the real deterrent, I would need a shirt with as many pockets as remotes. Six or seven? Something like that (it’s no wonder I never watch TV any more, I’ve no idea how to run the thing!) and we’ve just acquired yet another. 🙂
My husband is given plenty of shirts by his father & has to wear ‘work shirts’ to the office – and can’t wear them til they are threadbare – tho he tries. So we have a large supply! And we have five Man Cushions each with a pocket. Now an old fishing shirt would be perfect for you. They have zillions of pockets!
Ooh, that’s quite right. Why didn’t I think of that?!
This is a totally cool idea! I especially love how you left the pocket and it became a place for the remote… How perfect is that??!!!
That was my happiest moment during the birth of the Man Cushion – the remote pocket realization moment!
Brilliant. Absolutely love that you reuse the shirt opening. Off to find old shirts!
Every wardrobe clean-out means a new home re-decoration opportunity!
Very cool and such a great way to rid of those shirts. I love that they have the opening all there ready….simple! I could imagine lumberjack cushions being really cosy too….we have a leather sofa but I find cushions don’t stay put. My biggest bugbear. They slide around. I’m thinking of a crochet blanket to fix it. Thinking only at this stage…
Leather sofas are a horror for that! Maybe suede-backed cushions… Our blankets slide off as well!
Absolutely brilliant!
Thank you!
this is the best thing i have seen in a long time! so clever! makes me want to go to town and grab those bargain 3 pound shirts I saw today! AND we would never lose the remote ever again! 😛 thanks for the awesome idea!
LOL I know what you mean, I scope out every charity shop for new cushion candidates!
My favorite part about this is that you don’t have to fiddle with zippers or overlapping panels or slipstitching any openings–you can just use the buttons! Brilliant!
I love that you have fancy fasteners with no work! Sewing win!
What?! These are adorable!
And easy!!
Genius! I love it when an idea pings into your head. Doesn’t happen often enough to mine but I love it all the same !
I know they are basic but I love their quirkiness and economy! Plus I can re-decorate all year for little or no cost!
Awesome! I absolutely love the cushion with the pocket for the remote control/s. I could use one of those myself… especially in my bedroom. The remotes are always getting lost in the covers. In fact, I even destroyed one when it got lost in the sheets and landed in the washing machine.
Well I think you should find yourself a floral shirt and fix that problem 🙂
Great idea!!!!!