Okay, so I had this crazy idea the other day. You know those rubberwood cutting boards, the ones made from Hevea timber? Well, I thought, “What if I made cushion covers that looked like those?” I know, it sounds weird, but stick with me.

First, I grabbed some fabric. I wanted something that felt kind of sturdy, like wood, but still soft enough for a cushion. I ended up going with a thick, linen-blend in a natural, off-white color.

Getting the “Wood Grain” Look

• I sketched out a rough pattern on paper. I didn’t want it to be too perfect, because real wood grain is never perfectly uniform. I made some lines wavy, some straight, some thicker, some thinner. Just like the cutting board I have.
• Then, I got some fabric paint in a few different shades of brown. I figure three browns will do a good job: a light, a medium and dark one.
• I lightly traced my pattern onto the fabric with a pencil. This was just a guide, I wasn’t too worried about being exact.
• Now for the fun part! I started painting. I used a dry-brush technique, which basically means I dipped my brush in the paint, then wiped most of it off on a paper towel before applying it to the fabric. This gave it a more textured, “grainy” look. I went back and forth between my colors.
• I layered the different shades of brown, letting some areas be darker and some lighter, to mimic the natural variations in wood.
• Once I was happy with the “grain,” I added some darker knots, like the real wood would have, with the dark brown paint.

Sewing Up the Cushions

After the paint was completely dry (I let it sit overnight, just to be sure), I cut out the fabric to the size I wanted for my cushions. I just traced an old cushion cover for a good size.

I pinned the two pieces of fabric together, right sides facing each other, and sewed around the edges, leaving a gap for stuffing. I am not great at sewing, but I tried my best. I am sure you can do it better.

Then, I flipped the cover right-side out, stuffed it with some cushion filling, and hand-sewed the opening closed.

And that’s it! My cushions are finished! They’re not exactly like dancing on Hevea timber, but they’ve got that cool, wood-grain vibe I was going for. It was a fun little project, and it’s definitely a conversation starter!