A Cushy Little Number

My First...And, Probably, LAST Cushion Cover!

Well... it only took me almost TWO YEARS to actually finish this project for one of my nieces!  Things began to go awry, and after unpicking seams, and re-sewing multiple times, I became disenchanted with it and lost my motivation... and patience!  

It wasn't until my niece was in the throes of the last push for her final uni exams, that she asked if I still had the cushion so she could use it to help her through exam stress... Ultimately, that gave me the motivation I needed to actually finish the job.

Original Diagram With Measurements

I took it out of the corner that I had disdainfully tossed it into and had a fresh look at it to see how/if I could fix it.  To be fair, all I originally had to work with at the very beginning was this sketch with measurements of the cushion to cover.

This approach, apparently, did NOT work for me! I needed the actual cushion itself to fashion the cover to ensure a proper fit.  But, the diagram does help to show the fabric panels needed.

Loop & Button Closure With Extra Buttons For Decoration

Anyway, for the closure, I used buttons and elastic loops so it can easily be removed for washing.   I thought about velcro, but it snags on other material, and when it wears out, it goes all "hairy & horrible"! 😬😡 



Buttons are so much easier to replace...plus, I have PLENTY of those! I'm not at all experienced nor confident with installing zips... yet.

Although I'm pleased with how well it turned out in the end, I would not want to make another one.  It truly is enough for me to know how thrilled my niece was with the finished item! Hurray!!! 😎

Closer View Of Buttons Detail

I chose the fabric for it, especially, for my niece, who gave the choice a big thumbs up. 😁 There is no more left, which caused me even more anxiety in case I messed up without enough material for alterations/repairs! 😧

One of the things I really liked about this material, is that it will, eventually, become a time capsule of this ever-changing world.

World Map Fabric Close-Up

Also, in what I hope will be a bright future of following her dreams after her four years of hard work, my niece will be able to point to various countries and say, " Been there! Been there! Going there! Want to go there! ..." 

All in all, I hope it will be...

A Cushy Little Number

This One's For The Birds!

With Ribbon & Wooden Beads

After being teased mercilessly for a purposefully odd number of placemats* I had made a couple of years ago  - *three to be exact - I made a FULL set of FOUR placemats for part of my Mum's birthday present this year...

The reason behind the original three placemats was because I had made a separate placemat for my Dad with a nod to his Australian heritage, (using LOVELY fabric of printed koalas in gum trees in greys, greens, and browns...), coordinated with rich forest green, soft cotton on the back... I even added a cutlery pocket detail! 😎

For my Mum, I had made TWO matching placemats using fabric with a semi-baroque floral design in burgundy with fine green leaves on a soft gold background, with coordinating burgundy and white, soft cotton ticking on the back of the placemats.  Hence, the odd number of placemats.  But, my parents were so pleased with them, they have used them daily. 😁

Notice The Lace Doiley Corner(s) Detail! [Top-Left Corner]

Ahem... However, during my recent visit at my parents' home, (plus, another family member joining us for tea), it was brought to my attention that Mum was "a matching placemat short of a full set".  Hmmm... I suppose that could be read a few different ways. 😉

Actually, to be fair, the friendly ribbing came just in time because I wasn't sure, until then, what to make my Mum for her birthday.  So, cheeky comments were forgiven!

My LOVELY Bird Placemat Decorated With Buttons

Originally, I was hoping to make a set of four FULLY matching placemats, and, I had my heart set on using the bird fabric for all four.  Unfortunately, I only had enough to make just two placemats.  Hmmm... I had to get creative.  So, I rummaged through my fabric stash to find material that wouldn't look out of place.  Luckily, I had some floral fabric in very similar colours! Now, I could make the other two placemats for a full set of four.  Hurray! 😁

So, here are a few more pictures, illustrating my creative solution:

Dark Brown, Velvety Fabric On Reverse-Side Of Floral Fabric

Chevron Fabric On Reverse-Side Of Birds Placemat

Showing BOTH Sides Of All 4 Coordinating Placemats

To make it clearer: I made TWO matching placemats EACH of the Birds with Chevron-reverse, and TWO matching placemats EACH of the Floral with Velvety Chocolate Brown-reverse, for a total of FOUR placemats.

Artfully Folded Placemats Set

So, these days, when I sit down to tea at my parents' table laid with such SMART and well-coordinated table linens, no one can, (now), say...

This One's For The Birds! 🐦

Happy 2018! I'm BAAACK!

Well, after a tumultuous time since the last time I posted ANYTHING at all..ANYWHERE...I shall seriously endeavour to post more regularly...again! 

I have, since, invested in another sewing machine - JANOME SMD 2000 - which is closer to the comfort zone of the Janome model I used in the US.  Although, I do still have my Pfaff used in previous posts & projects.

For all the time that has passed since I last posted anything here, I've hardly done any sewing it all.  However, Christmas 2017 turned out to be a frantic odyssey of creativity crammed into a less than ideal time-frame as I found myself wishing I could be in two places at once with various important appointments to get to in the weeks leading up to Christmas, which put a massive dent in my original, (more measured), plans...

On top of the above, at the eleventh hour (more like 2:00 AM), I broke a needle, which jammed in the machine (first time ever THAT has happened!) -  I was almost finished with a Christmas present for one of my family members, too! Grrr!!!  I needed my pliers! Wouldn't y'know it?! OMG! I couldn't find them anywhere! They still haven't resurfaced...I suspect that one of my brothers may have absent-mindedly wandered off with them: the tool magpie! I had to drop everything to order another pair of pliers online -- Thank goodness for Amazon Prime!

Oh well! I managed... And, the flames and smoke pouring out the back of my Janome "work-horse" have now gone out. ;0)

Anyway, here's a list (with pictures) of some of the things I've made... So, please be aware that this post is VERY picture-heavy!

Passport Holder

Hanging Door Organiser

Reversible Scarves with / without Pockets 

     

  

 

Happy 2018! I'm BAAACK!