Monday, May 27, 2013

Listen To Your Mum!

When my mum gave me some of her special down proof fabric to use to fill needlepoint cushions she cautioned me, "Make sure you fill your cushions outside on a calm, still day because I know from experience that the feathers will go all over the place and make a terrible mess if you try to do it indoors."  Ha, did I listen to her?  Of course not!  This weekend I was determined to fill my down proof fabric and make cushions to go inside my needlepoints and nothing was going to stop me.  It was pouring with rain and blowing a gale so no chance of filling the cushions out of doors.  Well, I can tell you that I ended up ankle deep in feathers and resembled some feather breathing monster as the wicked little things stuck to my nose, my clothes, hair and the carpet.  I did eventually get the cushions formed but I couldn't get the special braid I bought to go smoothly around the edges of the backing fabric to begin with, and I had to draw on my inner obstinate donkey


to complete the projects.  Patience was required and it is not my most obvious character trait where stitching is concerned.  But I am happy to report that the end result was this

(finally the braid submits and does as it is told)

and this

Both cushions were backed with lovely rich moss green cotton velvet, recycled from curtains sourced at an opp shop.

Great, now I can press on with a couple of new projects.

These fabrics are left over scraps and with them I plan to make some cushions for the cottage



I think these ribbons should make good trims for the different fabrics, though red can be a bit of a tricky colour to match.  Having had a sudden yen to do a bit of cross stitch to embellish them I have dragged out an old scrap of natural coloured linen and will do bands of cross stitch to insert into the different patterned fabrics.  Happy times, happy times!





Also during the weekend I couldn't resist making a couple of new squares for the doilies and damask quilt.

 Here is one of them - the wretched photo of the other one is rubbish so you will have to take my word that it is gorgeous.  (The stitching equivalent of the gardening classic, "I wish you could have been here last week, the garden was a picture!")

The rainbow crazy quilt is all ready to go together now but every time I look at the piles of completed squares I can't resist taking them up and adding just a bit more stitching/beading/ribbon.  Next weekend will be crunch time, and hopefully it will go together smoothly and not cause too much grief.  But I am never too hopeful where completing projects is concerned - somehow starting is so much easier and more interesting!