305 Japanese Interior Zabuton Cushion Sew-Along

First are my thoughts on the batting. The pattern calls for a single sheet of batting in a set of specific dimensions. When I went to buy supplies at our local branch of the big chain fabric store, I couldn't find sheets of batting that were pre-cut and packaged. Instead, there were rolls available by the yard. I chose to get about 2 yards for economical reasons and hoped it would be enough. It wasn't exactly the right size, however, I solved this problem by using what I could and then supplementing the rest of the pillow filling with poly-fill I had at home. This gave the pillow a nice airy fluff, and I don't have any complaints about using it instead. I did stuff the batting shell very full, so I'm not sure how full the pillow would or wouldn't be if done without the extra filling.

The next step was to sew the corners of the batting together. The shape reminds me a bit of a quesadilla or some other pastry. I wasn't too precious with my stitching or the ridges formed by the seams, because this would all be interior and not seen to anyone. The instructions do say to invisibly whip-stitch the pieces together, though. For all seams, I chose to start from the corner inwards to the center. This allowed me to reach my hand in and distribute fluff accordingly into all of the corners so that the tips weren't floppy.

Cover
Next came the sewing for the zabuton cover. I choose one of the simplest cover options in the pattern.  For the final seam of this, the instructions call for hand-stitching a seam with incredibly long thread and then using a "jail bars" method to pull the seam back apart enough to flip the cushion inside out and stuff the pillow filling inside. I wanted to do my due diligence and try to follow the instructions as written, but honestly, the thread tangled in three different places before I could even stick it into the seam, so I devised another method.

I decided to press the seam allowance for the remaining open seam to the inside (for ease of finish), stuff the zabuton cushion, and then whipstitch the seam closed as best as I could. To be fair, I can understand why the instructions are written how they are (and this may be a more traditional method). If my fabric weren't dark, the stitching would not be so attractive. That said, someone with more skill in hand-sewing might be able to make it look much better. Which method you choose is ultimately up to you!

What also surprised me was how large the batting core looked compared to the zabuton cover. I was worried it wouldn't fit well, because it definitely was bigger than the cover. However, this is intentional so that the cushion has some fluff to it. With the extra poly-fill stuffing I added, the entire thing is extra fluffy.

Here is the finished product! It was surprisingly quick and easy to make. And yes, the cats love it.