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By Owen Jones, October 13, 2011 7:42 pm

In American phraseology, the words ‘cushion’ and ‘pillow’ are practically synonymous, but in the rest of the English speaking world, a pillow is used on a bed for supporting the head and a cushion is used on elsewhere for supporting other parts of the body. A pillow is usually much larger than a cushion nowadays.

The cushion and pillow were most likely first used by well-off Asian men to lounge on. They would probably be referred to as throw cushions nowadays. However, we are going back so far in history that dyes and textiles were very expensive, so pillows and cushions were just for the wealthy and the designs were so elaborate that they became pieces of art in themselves.

Needlework became a skilled profession as did weaving. Cushions were large sacks or cases filled with feathers, hair, wool, straw or something comparable. These days they are more likely to be filled with man-made fibres such as polyester. Down is the most costly filling particularly down from the eider duck.

Due to international trade, the concept of the cushion started moving westward and had arrived in Egypt by the time of the Pharaohs. Cushions have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. By the Middle Ages, cushions were to be seen in all the royal palaces of Europe. Cushions were still regarded as representing wealth.

The cushions of the royal palaces were substantial enough to sit in, a bit like modern beanie bags, and even started replacing traditional chairs. In those days, cushions were very substantial sacks made of leather, many of which had needlework patterns on them.

Cushions were also used in churches for the wealthy to kneel on when saying their prayers. These special but small cushions were called carreaux because they were square (from the French).

These days cushions are everyday objects because they are much cheaper. Most cushions in the West are 17 inches by 17 inches and the reason for this is the traditional size of a roll or bolt of fabric. A roll of cloth is traditionally 54 inches wide, so it could be cut into three pieces of 18 inches, allowing for seams, this permits the manufacturer to make a 17 inch cushion.

Japanese cushions were much larger and still are, but they have a different role. In the West they are used for support, whereas in the East they are used for sitting on on the floor. In Japanese they are called ‘zabuton’ and measure 20-30 inches square by a few of inches in thickness, which is less than a quarter of the thickness of traditional Western cushions.

Zen meditators will frequently sit on another special cushion called a zafu or meditation cushion, which is placed on top of the zabuton. A zafu can be round or square but is small, often just 8-10 inches in diameter and 4-8 inches in thickness.

Zabuton are used in all aspects of Japanese life especially those facets that have religious overtones or traditions such as sumo. Spectators of the sport will sit on zabuton while watching the bouts. If there is a foul or a dispute, spectators often throw their zabuton into the ring in disgust.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with decorative sofa pillows. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Modern Throw Pillows For Sale.

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By Owen Jones, September 9, 2011 12:28 pm

A substantial part of the enjoyment of quilting is gathering the materials that you will use. There are two methods: you can either choose the pattern first or the cloth first or if you are an experienced quilter, you can disregard the recommendations on the pattern and use whatever cloth you please. However, this is a big step that the novice must not take lightly

Most quilters will opt for cotton, 100% cotton, because it is the easiest fabric to use, is pleasant to handle, is washable and is readily available in different patterns and weights.

In fact, you cannot go wrong with cotton, whereas most people do not really want anything to do with man-made textiles and silk and satin are both a problem to use and costly.

When you go into a quilting or craft shop, you will see bolts and bolts (rolls and rolls) of 100% cotton fabric, so choice will hardly ever be a problem. In the beginning, a suggestion is to use tightly woven fabric, because loosely-woven cloth can ‘pull’ and distort leaving unsightly ‘holes’, which you cannot fix because they are not breaks.

You will have to put a lot of effort into your quilt so it is worth spending some time on planning your quilt and the pattern and the design that you would like. The colour is especially important because you or your customer will have to live with it for many years.

Strive to use contrast as much as you can, but that is outside the scope of this piece, so you will have to look it up if you do not understand it already. However, in essence it involves using warm colours like red, yellow, orange and brown with cooler colours like blue, green and violet. You can contrast black with white very effectively too.

You could also endeavor contrasting different textures. Smooth, coarse, high grain and low grain, high density and low density cottons can be mixed to dazzling effect with a bit of thought and practice. The same can be said of the pattern on the cloth. Therefore, you can alternate or mix colour, texture and pattern.

When you get brave enough, you can add other types of cloth too such as velvet or taffeta. Whichever textiles you decide to use, you must test them for shrinkage.

Take a swatch, measure it, wash it as it must be washed, dry it out, iron it and then measure it again. This will tell you how much that cloth shrinks, so you can write that down in a notebook.

Pre-shrink all textiles that are going to shrink before sewing blocks of themt into our quilt or you will have big problems later. When you have washed and dried the block of fabric, it should be ironed.

If you make a decision to use a fabric that needs dry cleaning, you will have to make sure that anybody who buys it from you knows this. It would be a sensible idea to embroider a label saying as much and sewing it to the quilt so that neither you nor the customer else will forget.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with the waterproof mattress pads. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Egg Crate Mattress Pad For Sale.

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By les scammell, March 21, 2009 6:53 am

For a product reviews to be effective, it should cover the salient aspects of the purchase. This helps buyers to better know their options. We created a structured approach using 5 categories. Each category can earn 0 to 20 points. The categories we rate are as follows: Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. We then add up the total to give an overall rating. In this massage chair review we analyze the M-2 Orion Massage Chair from Omega Massage. This entry level lounger is in the price range of $1,500 and under.

Warranty & Customer Service: Warranty and customer service comes from the manufacturer of the massage chair. Warranty is important, since it protects the customer in the workmanship of the product. The other side of this is customer service. Customer service must solve issues one may have. With the M-2 Orion, Omega Massage covers 1 year on the frame, 6 months on parts, and 6 months labor and shipping for 6 months. For an entry level massage chair, Omega provides the most comprehensive warranty and exceeds the other manufacturers in this category. With the M-2 Orion, Omega provides strong warranty coverage. Now on the customer service side, Omega overall is responsive and competent. They have quick turnaround times when issues do arise. The M-2 Orion is an 18 in Warranty & Customer.

Comfort & Ergonomics: A massage chair needs to be designed to fit the body and provide comfort. The chair is a place of relaxation. One does not want to be pre-occupied with non-intuitive functions. Let us take a look at the Orion. The Orion has a remote control holder under the armrest which is very convenient. You can recline the chair from 115 degrees to 170 degrees. There is the calf massage built into the footrest. The leg rest can be extended 4 extra inches. This allows the calf massager to be adjusted to where you like. The Orion is pretty comfortable with fully padded side armrests, extra seat cushion. You also get a plush back pad with a detachable shoulder pillow. The M-2 earns a 17 in this category.

Ease of Use: How easy and intuitive is the use of a given product is another important area. Products need to be designed with the user in mind. The M-2 Orion shiatsu massage has a pretty simple controller. Just push the main power and select the auto massage to enjoy a massage. The M-2 comes with manual controls for the backrest and the footrest. The backrest and footrest are attached to a manual piston. When released, it raises the footrest or raises the chair back. The M-2 does the heavy lifting for you. The remote has 3 automatic programs and 3 manual programs with 3 back courses. The remote also controls the calf massage, seat vibration and seat massage. Omega creates a chair with features of a higher end massage chair while still providing an easy to use recliner. Our rating in this category is 19.

Key Features: What are the key features of the Orion M-2 massage chair? This chair comes with the very relaxing sway massage which is based on Hawaiian massage. Hawaiian massage is known for its flowing strokes and swaying motion. There is thorough back coverage with the back massage. The Sway massage penetrates deeper and deeper around the back. This massage chair recliner comes with an eight massage head system for the buttocks and thighs. These eight massage heads provide an invigorating massage. An extra seat cushion is provided to moderate the penetration of the seat massage. Coupled with vibration therapy in the seat, the M-2 has a very good seat massage. The Omega M-2 Orion earns an 18 for key features.

Massage Therapy: The massage therapy is what a massage chair is all about. How does the M-2 Orion rate? Let us find out. There are both automatic and manual massages to choose from. Select from 3 timed automatic massages of 5, 10 or 15 minutes in duration. There are 3 back course and 3 manual massages for your back. Manual massages performed by the Orion are Kneading, Swaying and Finger Press. The seat with its eight rotary massage heads really delivers thorough massage to the thighs and buttocks. If you do a lot of sitting, this chair relieves those aches and pains. The adjustable leg rest allows great targeting of the legs with the mechanical rollers. Adjust them to exactly where you need relief. We rate the M-2 an 18 for its massage therapy.

Overall, we are very impressed with the Omega M-2 Orion. Let us sum up all the categories. The M-2 scores an impressive 90/100. Some unique features are the Sway Massage and the full seat therapy. These are therapeutic and relieving massages that can penetrate deeply to relieve soreness. The manual controls are good. The hydraulic assist that omega uses to lift the leg rest and chair back work effectively. With Omega, the M-2 has terrific warranty coverage. If you are looking for a great entry level massage chair, the M-2 is one of your best bets. The Orion gives a full body massage that is thorough and invigorating.