How to sew a zafu | Easy meditation cushion sewing tutorial

Hi everyone, bonjour à tous and welcome. After my tutorial on how to make a Volsta Pillow, which is amazing for practicing yoga, I received many comments asking if I could create a tutorial on how to make a meditation cushion, also called a Zafu. The answer is yes, of course, with pleasure. Avec plaisir. Let's get started. To begin with, we will need to study the pattern. We trace a circle first with a compass or whatever you have on hand. Traditionally, the diameter of the Zafu is somewhere between 30 and 35 centimeters and since I am quite petite, I decided to trace a circle with a diameter of 30 centimeters. All around, we need to add a one centimeter seam allowance. The diameter of our circle increases then by two centimeters, one on each side. For today's example, we have 30 plus 2 equals 32 centimeters of diameter. Now the radius of a circle is half its diameter. You will need it to trace your circle with your compass. Here, 32 divided by 2 equals 16 centimeters, seam allowance included. Then we will trace a very long stripe of fabric which will be the side of our cushion. The width of this rectangle depends on how high you want your cushion to be. Traditionally, it's something between 15 and 17 centimeters. Let's make it 16 centimeters today. The length depends on the perimeter of our circle, on how many pleats you wish to have and how wide you want them to be. For today's example, 150 centimeters will be plenty enough material. It's even a bit much, but it's safer this way. And once again, we will add a Therefore, we add two centimeters to the width, one on each side. 16 plus 2 equals 18 centimeters. And another two centimeters for the length, one on each side. 150 plus 2 equals 152 centimeters. That's plenty enough. Better safe than sorry. Now the last piece we need to trace is a small rectangle to make the handle. The length of this rectangle equals the chosen height of our zafu. Today, it's 16 centimeters. The width of the rectangle should be as wide as you wish your handle to be. For me, 5 centimeters, which I double since we need it to be double layered. 2 times 5 equals 10 centimeters. And again, we add one centimeter of seam allowance all around and we get 16 plus 2 equals 18 centimeters for the length and 10 plus 2 equals 12 centimeters for the width. We will need to cut our circle two times, one for the top and one for the bottom of the cushion. The handle one time and the long stripe once as well. However, if you don't have a fabric long enough at your disposal, you can very well sew two rectangles, even three together. Just remember to hide the seams inside the pleats later. Now let's talk fabric. I am going to work with this very thick and slightly padded upholstery material. It's beautiful and I already had it in my stash, so that will do. However, I highly recommend you use instead, if possible of course, a medium to thick cotton fabric in a dark shade, which is less prone to showing stains. Something like this old tablecloth for instance. And I'll try to find a bit of it that is not too faded to make the handle of my cushion. To trace the pattern onto the fabric now, we can use tailor's chalk or these magic pens that a lovely subscriber made me discover. I put a link in the description box since I find them really useful. The ink disappears with the heat of your iron. Careful though, they can leave a little shiny transparent trace on some fabrics and very cold weather can make it reappear. So this is to be used in seam allowances only and never to trace bust darts for instance. Let's begin with our circle. Once it's traced, cut it out really carefully. The beauty of depends on it. Place your paper on the fabric, trace its shape and use your fabric scissors this time to cut it out neatly. Go slowly, we have the time. I am also going to cut my little handle and I remind you, since I receive many comments on the matter, that I always put a link to the material I use in the description box of my videos. And by the way, don't forget to wash and iron your fabric before working with it. A bit more cutting and all of our pieces will be ready. We have two circles, one for the top and one for the bottom. A long stripe of fabric for the sides and our small handle with which we will start working. Oh and of course, don't forget to keep your fabric scraps. They are quite useful to pad little sewing projects, like a meditation cushion for instance. But back to work. Fold your rectangle lengthwise, right sides together, pin it and make a row of straight stitches at one centimeter from the edge, without forgetting to consolidate the start and the end with a few back and forth stitches. The most assiduous subscribers of this channel may have noticed that today I'm not using my beloved Bernina and God knows that I would recommend it any day if it wasn't so expensive. Instead, I am using a new sewing machine with a more reasonable price tag attached, that I recently acquired for this channel. This way, I will be able to test it, to recommend it or not to the many beginners that contacted me on the matter and also to show that it isn't necessary to spend a large amount of money in order to make a beautiful work with professional finishes. You can find a link to this machine in the info box of the video, but for now, back to work. Let's turn our handle right sides out and iron it flat. The next step is optional but recommended. We are going to make a row of topped stitches at one millimeter from the edge on both sides. This will ensure that the handle stays nice and flat and it will make it look more polished and neat. As a lovely subscriber said, top stitching is like ironing but with a sewing machine and I really like this analogy. For now, we can leave our handle on the side and work on the funniest bit of our tutorial, the pleats. But first, I recommend you make a little zigzag stitch on both ends of the long stripe to prevent fraying. And look at this pretty zigzag! Good job little machine! Now watch carefully. We are going to make a first mark at eight centimeters from the edge. Then I place a second mark four centimeters further on. And just like that, we marked our first pleat. Now again, eight centimeters and again four centimeters. Eight centimeters, four centimeters. It's quite simple. We just need to alternate these distances, eight and four centimeters. And that all the way through before marking the other edge of our stripe with a square or with a transparent ruler. This transparent ruler is such a useful tool. It really is a must-have for sewing. I use it every day. When you are done with your markings, it's time to start the pleating. Have a close look. Here is our first four centimeters gap, the first and the second mark. I am going to pinch and fold the fabric at the first mark and to place it on top of the second mark. Congratulations! You just made your first pleat. Don't forget to pin it or to press it in place with your iron. Now we will need to repeat the same operation all the way to the other end of our fabric. It may take some time but don't worry, it will be much easier than what you are seeing on the screen if you're working with simple cotton instead of this beautiful but extremely thick fabric I am fighting with at the moment. When all of our pleats are pinned, we need to sew them in place with a row of straight stitches at one centimeter from the edge on both sides of the fabric. It's really important to be as precise as possible if you don't want your cushion to be slightly crooked in the end. These seams will keep your pleats in place straight and neat and they'll also be extremely useful as a sewing guide later on. Now press with passion as a lovely subscriber said and straight to the construction of the cushion. I am going to pin my pleats and one of my circles right sides together. Don't pin the very start of the stripe, it's better to leave a little allowance where the beginning and the end of the fabric will overlap so as to properly work on this bit later. Take your time, don't be shy, use a lot of pins. Properly align the edge of the pleated fabric with the edge of the circle so as to obtain a perfectly rounded shape in the end. Now stop before you reach the very end of your stripe, the edges will need to overlap one on top of the other but before that we need to insert the handle between the circle and the side fabric of the cushion. And before you pin your little sandwich in place, make sure that you don't have too much fabric that overlaps, two centimeters at the most. If indeed you have excess fabric, trim it and finish the edges off again with a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. It is time to make a row of straight stitches all around at one centimeter from the edge following the pleat seam as a guide. Also to make sure that these pleat seams will not be visible on the finished cushion, a little tip, sew at one millimeter on the side of this seam. This humble little machine even offers the possibility to move the position of the needle on the left. If this is not an option on your sewing machine, lift the presser foot up and manually move the fabric from one millimeter on the right. Once again be really attentive to making a beautiful seam with a perfectly curved shape. The final aspect of your cushion depends on it. Now it is quite simple, we need to repeat the same operation on the other side of the zafu. We are still working right sides together and still taking our time. We are creating a meditation cushion after all. Don't be discouraged, you are perfectly capable of sewing this zafu and look how easily it is all coming together. We are going to sew at one centimeter from the edge like before and I must say that I am quite happy with the way this little machine performs with thick layers. If yours has a hard time around the overlap area, I have placed for you in the description box a link to my tutorial tips on how to sew through thick fabrics. Before turning the cushion right sides together, we have the option to finish the edges off with a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying. You can also quickly serge it if you are the lucky owner of the precious serger. Rest assured though that a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine will do the job very well and besides these edges will be hidden inside. However, work with care, you wouldn't meditate in peace knowing that your inside finishes were rushed and sloppily made. Voila! Turn your cushion inside out and enjoy the result. It will need to be filled with the filling of your choice, old scraps of fabric, kapok or like I choose for this tutorial, organic spelt. Be generous if you want a firm and comfortable cushion and don't hesitate to finish force feeding the beast with a spoon. We will need to close the opening with a few hand stitches. Now to do that, pinching the layers of fabric together will help. Be careful though not to grab more than a few threads on both sides with your needle if you want the final result to lay neat and flat. This sewing will then be covered by the little handle giving the cushion an impeccable finish. If you have some motivation left and wish to customize your zafu in order to gift it for example, you can very well add a handmade little tag with a message on it, a name, a mantra, a love word and so on. A few hand stitches will be perfect to hold it in the place of your liking. If this little touch of originality seduces you, make sure to watch my tutorial on how to create these little tags yourself. You will find the link in the description box of the video as well as the fabric stamp I am using. Et voila! Sewing lovers and happy crafters, this is the end of this video. I hope it inspired you to make your own meditation cushion or simply to take your sewing machine out of its hiding place. Bye bye!