Not all plain sailing

Finished up my wonky star cushion from class this week -

The design for the cushion is to have a positive side and a negative side which works really well for the fabrics I chose for this one.  I love the splash of turquoise among the charcoal and white, and the postmark stamp fabrics is really fun without being too childishly novelty.

I used a lovely turquoise thread to outline quilt the star - works a treat against the charcoal.

The real challenge for me in this class (aside from trying to achieve wonk with a brain that likes straight!) was inserting an invisible zip.

Now I know I've had a go at zips before - in cushions and in pouches, but if I'm honest it's all a bit hit and miss with me and the zip.  My efforts for the Mouthy Stitches Swap earlier this year were reasonably successful, but something seems to happen when I try to get the needle close to the zip teeth and keep running straight along the bulk of the fabric and wadding layers.

The insertion of this zip was not fun, entirely user error, of course, but not fun!  If you could see closer up you would see two or three lines of unpicked stitches on that charcoal Kona.  Other than that it looks okay from this distance now, but it really could have and should have been better.   The pattern instructions were great and the class demonstration made it all look so straightforward but, me and my zip foot have issues - we may need some therapy to work them through!  It almost feels like I should use the quilting foot to keep it all feeding nice and evenly through the machine, rather than the zip foot itself.  Hmmm, need to figure this one out ...

In the meantime, I do have a lovely finished cushion and I don't expect the invisible zip police to be inspecting often!



PS - If you're at all interested in the pattern for this cushion it is available on the Just Jude Etsy shop (and be assured the zip issues are all mine not the fault of the pattern).

Bee Cushion

Today I thought you might like to see a wee cushion finish that we've been working on for Bee Blessed.

Ta Da!

Back at the beginning of the year when our theme was sampler blocks, Terri kindly stitched us up a host of modern blocks to include in our projects.  Among them was the pleated blue and white centre block that you can see on the pic above.

When we saw this block, several of us automatically said how great it would look in a cushion front to really feature its 3D quality to best effect.  So, when we had some extra fabrics from a blue and lemon quilt that we are working on (pics in a few weeks over on the Bee Blessed flickr page we hope) Terri's block seemed to lend itself perfectly to becoming a companion cushion for the quilt.

We popped on a border of the remaining squares and made up a similar back from Ruth's lovely courthouse steps block in just the right colours and hey presto! a cushion with decorative and practical aspects.  Pretty pleats to look at one one side and and cosy courthouse steps to rest your head on on the other.

I hope Terri and Ruth will think we've done their blocks justice and be glad to know that they will be gifted along with one of the group's quilts shortly.

Thank you ladies!

FIL Birthday Cushion

My FIL has a special birthday this weekend so I stitched up a cushion surprise to celebrate his big day.

Rail Fence and Embroidered blocks

Envelope Backing

The fabrics were beautiful to work with - Makower Indigo Berries (the blue versions of the Ravenwood fabrics I used in Hubby's Roman Quilt) - and are such deep navies and french blues - very suitable man-fabrics!

I couldn't wait ....

I'm afraid I gave in.  Remember last week I showed you my lovely new book

and said how I couldn't wait to get finished with Christmas makes so I could break into it?  Well, I'm afraid I have less patience than a child on Christmas morning and I caved, compromised and made a Christmas make from the book!  How's that for sneaky and impatient?

My favourite block in the book is Envy by Angela of Cut to Pieces and I knew that I wanted to make this one some time soon (as well as loads of the others).  However, last night DS was hanging about the sewing room as I was deliberating what design to use to make a companion cushion to the Secret Quilt and as he flicked through the Modern Blocks book (avoiding going to bed rather than out of genuine interest, I think - initially at least) he said he thought the Envy block would look good in the Secret Quilt fabrics.  Totally unprompted! Now that can only have been a sign, don't you think?  So snip, stitch, a few mumbles as I tried to eek out remaining fabrics to be the right sizes, and voila!  One more Christmas pressie cushion -

Envelope Back

(probably shouldn't show it but I'll take a chance)

I know it doesn't quite fit the theme of the Secret Quilt but frankly my quilting ability and inspiration in that area have been exhausted, so it'll be grand!

I love the block so much and it worked out okay in these smaller scale fabrics even though the larger prints of the original are stunning!

One more satisfying tick off the list!  And fun doing it!

In need of therapy ...

It's finished and I love it, but this cushion has highlighted my need for therapy.

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised when I tell you that I like to feel in control of my life.  But today I discovered this does not help in my quest to add to my quilting skills.

For my latest cushion design I had hoped that I might be able to try a little of the sketching technique to applique the letters of my niece's name to her gift.  So I practiced, and I practiced and eventually it got this good (!?!)

Uh oh! More than a bit sad really.

Some more practice and I managed to do a little better (top sample in photo below)

but it still didn't really look good enough to go on the cushion.  So, what should a control freak like me do when faced with this dilemma?  Fake it of course! - (see bottom sample in photo above.)

I'm afraid my sketching efforts just didn't look good enough to make it on to the actual cushion.  So it was back up with the feed dogs and carefully trying to sew it neatly but deliberately not make it too neat! And, to create the illusion of slightly more random 'sketching' I controlled my sewing around the letters TWICE - how's that for warped thinking?! Is there such a thing as random control or controlled random?  I really do need help ....

In spite of my psychological issues, I am really chuffed with how this cushion for my niece finished.  I adore the Riley Blake Rainy Days and Mondays umbrella fabric and it was great fun to hand quilt around some of the little brollies on the front.

With a little creative assistance from my lovely friend Judith, I decided to make the back more interesting with the addition of a contrasting band on the envelop backing and little button and tab closure.  And, even though I didn't make the grade to do the sketching technique this time, I'm still pretty pleased with the applique lettering on the contrast band.

I was enjoying myself so much on the back of this cushion that I added a few fun accent buttons too - little hearts and a star.  This was lots of fun to create - and it's destined for a very fun little girl.  Should be just right!

So, here are all three sisters' (ages 15, 9 and 2) cushions ready for the festive gift swapping -

I can hardly believe I've actually made all of these myself, and am so pleased that that's three less pressies I will have to trail around the shops for!

Soul Blossoms Cushion finish

I have been trying to muster the energy to sandwich and quilt my 24" soul blossoms cushion, but last week was a bit harder than expected and it seemed to take forever to make the progress I was hoping for.  But despite the lack of speed and a few brainless moments while quilting I do have a finished cushion for another festive pressie.

Positive

Negative

quilting close up

Two cushion gifts ready and waiting

So, that's two down and one more to go for a full set of gift cushions for my nieces.  Must get no 3 on the go soon!

Soul Blossoms Cushion

At the end of August I showed you my cutting preparation for another gift cushion -

This cushion will be the second of my Christmas gift makes for my three nieces (sisters aged 2, 9 and 15).  First cushion blogged here.

Last weekend I got a chance to piece the cushion panels (front and back) together.  I know my cutting layout my have inferred some kind of cross pattern was ahead, but the reality is in fact much more simple.  I wanted to keep this cushion unfussy and to make the most of the larger scale prints that Amy Butlers Soul Blossoms are.  This gift is for my fifteen year old niece who is very beautiful and very fashionable and I don't want her to find it old-fashioned or wonder what on earth her fuddy-duddy aunt was thinking giving her patchwork for a gift.  So, I opted for this -

Front of cushion

Back of cushion

Front and back - positive and negative of each other

I really like this piecing which allows the fabrics to speak for themselves, and hopefully my niece will too when the time comes.  I'm happy to have made some progress on this but I'll be leaving the quilting and the finish aside for a bit as there's a lot going on here in the next couple of weeks.  Good to feel ahead of the game for once!  (Bet it'll be shortlived!)

At last Agnes has a cushion!

A number of projects have been sidelined by this summer's unexpected turn of events.  I'd left a little pile under the table in the sewing room and sort of forgot about them temporarily.  Among them was Agnes' cushion front - originally blogged here.  All it needed was a backing and a filler to be complete, and of course to be able to be gifted to Agnes.

I still love those Greenfield Hills blues!

Log Cabin in Greenfield Hills

Not so subtle that title, but it's what I was working on this afternoon as a wee start to a gift.  A log cabin cushion in Denyse Schmidt's Greenfield Hills fabrics.  Not sure somehow that log cabin and the Plantation homes that inspired these fabrics are compatible, but for this wee cushion front I think they've come together nicely.

It's not a very contemporary look, but I do love these fabrics in this blueberry colourway and they are a dream to work with.

I am hoping to make this into a gift for Agnes.  I've never met Agnes but the week before Christmas, when we had 8 inches of snow, my hubby was out for a snow run around the lanes where we live and he met Agnes for the first time.  Agnes is 84 and we learned she has no family, and she was there in 8 inches of snow underlaid with ice on a crutch trying to drag her recently emptied wheelie bin back up the lane to her house - hardy or what?  Anyway, hubby clearly offered to help and given the weather conditions offered to look in on her again.  So he and our son have been visiting Agnes from time to time just to check that all is well and she has all she needs.  I just thought it might be nice for them to take her a little handmade gift on one of their visits.  Probably more info than you are really interested in but there you have it - a start on Agnes' log cabin cushion.

Slogress report!

Whew! It's been a hectic few weeks and life has had the audacity to get in the way of sewing so it's been more a case of slo-gress than progress.  But I can now report that my purple fest cushions are complete and adorning the sofas with their loveliness.

All stitched, filled and zipped!

I love how the same set of fabrics can be used to such different effects.

Hexagons with style!

Mosaic Fun

Bold bars of colour

Hexie cushion along with the quillow that started my purple fad!

I wish I could get the photos to represent the colours of these purples better - but photography isn't my strong point.  I am really enjoying the rich addition of colour these have added to my lounge and how they work with the quillow (perhaps even toning down that green a little). Job done!

By the way, Lynne over at Lily's Quilts is hosting a new monthly sharing day for folks to link to something they've made that month that makes them happy.  Great for inspiration, oohing and aahing,  and for seeing who else is out there.  Thanks for the fun fab idea Lynne.  If you're interested nip on over to her blog and add your link.  If you've peeked in here following Lynne's links - thanks for stopping by!

Purple Fest!

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm having a purple phase.  It's lasting a little longer than I thought it would but I just love the depth and power of the colours.  Secretly, I'm a little nervous that I'm sliding the way of Jenny Jospeh's poem Warning.  Perhaps I am just preparing those who know me for the time to come (read the poem). So, this weekend I indulged unapologetically in a sewing purple fest - bliss!

What brought all of this on?  The shabby state of my existing sofa cushions, and a couple of needlepoint, woollen cross-stitch ones which are very out of place in the lounge since the arrival of the purple and green quillow. It really is time to replace them with something fresh and so a creative spurt ensued.

Step one was unearthing my purple scraps.

To be honest, at this point I did feel a little overwhelmed with where to begin. How far would these scraps stretch? What designs would they work with? With some inspiration from cushion-love around blog world and a few doodles, tweaks and calculations, I set to work on the beginnings of three new cushions.

Cushion 1 will give a nod to two personal favourites - the rectangular cushion and paper-pieced hexagons.  So this was my starting point - three granny flowers.  I am very excited about this cushion which will be inspired by Ariel's beautiful creation.  I love how the traditional hexagons have been given a modern feel by appliqueing them on to a simply pieced cushion.  I am so excited about how mine will turn out, but the end result is on hold until I can buy a little more purple fabric to allow the piecing of the larger rectangular sections.  So for now, the hexies are as far as I've got.

Moving on to cushion 2, I decided on a cushion front with vertical purple bars of fabrics.  I wanted to keep some of the larger strips of fabric remnants in tact just to show off the gorgeous regal depth to the colours and the lovely patterns.

I cut a few strips from my larger scraps then topped and tailed them with deep violet solid.  There was much ordering and re-ordering of the bar strips to see which layout I preferred, but eventually I made up my mind, stitched them together and added more solid purple to each end.

As someone who hasn't mastered the art of free machine quilting, I am often disappointed that books and tutorials place such huge emphasis on this style of quilting.  One of my little wishes is to see more projects and quilts which are quilted in interesting ways the beginner can manage.  Often it makes a big difference to the overall effect of a project and it would be good to have a few more ideas for non-free-machining.  Anyway, off my hobby horse and back to the purple bars!  I didn't want to do much quilting on this cushion front.  I wanted the fabrics to speak for themselves but didn't want to just quilt in the ditch.  So I braved judging the quilting margins to stitch around the entire bar section in an outline style with lavender thread.  I am really delighted with the result - it's not rocket science to most of you, but I think it works well in this instance.  Due deference paid to inspiration of Bethany's cushion by Rags to Bags.

Finally, I tackled a modern mosaic style cushion front a la Oh Fransson's fab tutorial.  Elizabeth's instructions were spot on and this was a real pleasure to do, though admittedly not a speedy process for me.  I did wonder if it was ever going to get big enough as I kept adding pieces and sashing but it just kept drawing itself in in terms of measurements with all the many seams that were on the go.

chaos

the beginnings of order from chaos

coming together nicely

Elizabeth uses stipple quilting for a lovely effect on her cushion but not possessing that skill yet I unpacked the walking foot for my new machine and quilted along the middle of the sashing lines.  I am really impressed with myself because I think the effect really suits the mosaic style of the cushion front (not sure if you can see it on this photo), and of course I'm now in love with my walking foot!

Well, all of these lovelies need some extra bits and bobs to allow me to finish them up so I'm off now to order zips and backing fabrics!  It has been such fun this weekend and of course now I can't wait to get them backed and zipped and filled and on display in the lounge!  I'll let you have a peek when they're done.

Hope you too had a creative weekend!