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dd has been learning sewing at school & wants to sew a cushion cover. I thought I could make the cover or buy one & unpick the seam to open it out to make it easier for dd to sew. Thought about cutting out felt & then she could sew the design on. She's sewn with wool or thick cotton at school but I'm not sure what to get, thought fine wool would be easier to sew & if in a contrasting colour would look good on felt. Any ideas/advice?

How about 2 pieces of calico, sew in a zip for her so that you have 2 squares joined by the zip. Then she could cut felt shapes and design her cushion, sewing these to each side. Once that is done, you could put the sides together (leaving the zip open) and she could hand sew the sides. Calico isn't very heavy so it will be easy to put a needle through. Maybe she could so using stranded cotton instead of regular thread??

Thanks thats a great idea. Off to search the web for cheap calico!

It doesn't need a zip. If you have an overlap at the opening and it is fairly tight on the cushion pad, you don't need anything at all on the opening, though for fun she could sew on a button and loop.

When I make them I use a long strip and hem the ends, then fold it over and sew the sides with it inside-out. She would have to do it in backstitch for it to be strong enough.

Felt decoration on calico is a good idea, nice and cheap and fun!

I have found this link useful - lots of different cushion tutorials. http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/02/pillow-tutorial-round-up/

One of my books has a good, easy cushion idea- using old men's shirts as one of the sides. Then you don't have to worry about zips or buttons, just use the shirt. And a nice contrasting fabric square for the other side, right sides facing each other, stitch up the 4 sides, turn inside out via the pre-made button opening, et voila! If you don't have a shirt you could always charity shop it.