Procrastination Cushion

I meant to clean my sewing room. But, I didn’t want to shove the cushion insert away (dead cover situation) so pulled out my tub of velvets. One of my tubs of velvet.

The orange velvet was a partly pulled apart garment my Grandma found in an op shop at least 30-40 years ago. It’s so beautiful I use it very carefully, but I’m glad to find a reason. The buttons are covered in it too.

I did fold and put away my pile of velvet but the floor is covered in fluff so I kind of went backwards, although one little job is off the list and the stash went down a little bit.

Rather than figure out a Drunkards Path patch, I just cut a piece of old brown paper into the circle, roughly drew the grid and shapes then cut them out, adding seam allowances.

 

Churn Dash Love

I found the quilted peachy-pink satin bedspread (lining) at Wandin North Op Shop for $4! It's a page out of my childhood. Well, not mine exactly, but that time when people had that type of thing. None of this polyester rubbish, it feels so silken and luscious. I don't even know if I want a V cushion, but it was too perfect and I might take up more reading, or embroidering in bed, so it will be perfect. 
Reminds me of a 60's McCall's Needlework photo shoot.

The buttons on the cushion are actually (very) old lead disks, self-covered. Grandma's stash.

Cousin Ivy's Pineapple Lilly (Eucomis).
I made the Churn Dash quilt top years ago. It's all satin-backed shantung and old silks etc. The back is turned out and ties hold the layers together.

I can't figure out my camera. I might have to actually read something, but time is always too precious. So, sorry about the dullness of the shot. It' actually amazing and rich in colour and smells pretty.

This is the new shed/arbour/patio between the house and the vege garden. Nice brickwork my dear.

Off To The Melbourne Show (22nd & 23rd Sept)

Come and see me in the Arts & Crafts Pavilion. Gonna have a ridiculous amount of stuff there... I'll be sharing and I'm always caring so that's a given.

My friends Rhonda's coming to visit!!

Missing The Old Girl At The Moment

I don't have any decent photo's of the quilt. I've lost files on my computer and can't retrieve them. Just empty files. What's that about.
So... looking for a picture of this to enlarge... I find myself a little bit missing it.
Sniff!
Few more pictures over here...

Our Cosy Lounge Room

I rearranged my lounge room. The new proggy rug, made for beside the bed, hasn't left the lounge. 

Same place, but I couldn't decide which picture to put up. Note the many cushions... it's been a thaing of late. And the freshly dusted bric-a-brac shelf. Luvverly!

Did I Post This Little Cushion Yet?

I've decided to make a different cushion for each doona cover and quilt. Only because I want a reason.

Another Bobble Cushion

I have the pattern for sale over at Etsy. This one I've added a side panel, gathered fairly tightly. The back has a zip. I dyed it after I'd finished.
My other (first) one is here. It's actually quite a bit smaller, not having the gathered edge.

Crazy Cushion

I put this bright ground together a long time ago, but never got to it until now. I did think it would be too bright for my lounge-room, but it looks nice.
I want to re-do all of my favourite stitches. In my former classes, I'd teach the stitches in various formats that I'd not even done myself. So, and old usual might be something I'd not sampled, for example the bullrushes. I've done the stitches all over the place, elsewise, but not as bullrushes.

The ladybird is a bare survivor of a cushion I made many moons ago. And the orange, pure silk velvet was a top my Grandma bought even longer ago.
I'm on a roll at the moment, all year in fact, to do those things I've intended. To use my best cloths, threads, my most nostalgic items and motifs. 

The bullrushes are made using wool I bought in Bayeux. A shop there had produced the same type of wool (and colours) as used in the famous 'tapestry'. How excited was I to find them!
If you ever can, go and see it. It's not just beautiful, it's clever, graphically. The story pulls you through and is highly artistic. A well drawn adventure cartoon.

The New Old Bedding

The doona cover cloth is from the now defunct Job Warehouse in Melbourne. Covering all of the joins is ric-rac and braid my Grandmother had. Another lot of stuff I've carried around for many, many years. Many.
The pillowslips are made using Phillips Shirts cloth. Gorgeous! I feel very luxurious under it all. With that lovely bear of a man!

It will go with this quilt, which is together but not bound or quilted, yet.

The Green Bluebird Cushion

I've been carrying around an old kiddies book, Thumbelina, for years, specifically for the bird. And, right now, I'm in a Get On And Do It kind of a mood, so sat and traced the bird, sans Thumbelina.

As I've said before, cushion backs are Only Ever Velvet. Unless they're really just for show (and I do have some of these)
The cloth is a gorgeous chestnut/dark reddy silk organza over another gorgeous golden yellow slubbed Indian silk (good old Spotters, still got it if you look hard).

A friend very generously gave me a box of Maison Sajou Broderie (Stranded Thread), inspiring me to do this project using only the Sajou. I used 3 strands to give it a quick, thick, coarse sort of a look. She bought it at luccello in Melbourne.

I hunted and found the right green-blue heavy-ish fringe, and tried in vain to purchase some mid-tan velvet for the back. Even tan dye was unavailable. Then, when I got home, unlike before I went, the already stashed, very old (and therefore thick and soft) brown velvet looked perfect and it didn't want the fringe either! No fringe! Stupid!
It's quite big, 41 cm across. Insert filled with kapok.
When I find the tracing, I'll post the bird outline.

New Antique Anniversary Cushion

I made the main of this many years ago, but it got a little worn and tired, so has been in my shelf for unfinished embroideries for some time.
Pulling it out over Christmas (New Year exuberance) I cut it into an oval, added the selvage from some amazing, shot silk lining (with the fluffy green) over the original grey rayon ribbon, stitched our initials (RM) in the cameo (instead of the old button which had come off), gathered a border of some very old, gorgeous metallic/silk cloth my friend's Mum gave me (and which I use all over the place), the green braid (from a case of braids, fringes and cords my Grandma gave me a long time ago), backed it all with a lovely pink velvet (Rule No. 1: All Cushions Will Have A Velvet Back), made and stuffed a Kapok insert and VOILA!
Happy 17th Anniversary Honey Bunch!!
Just don't sit on it.

New Bluebird (Name In Progress) & P.S. Got A New Camera At Last!

Peek preview of a new pattern/kit I'm doing:

An old favourite, the bluebird. Surrounded by an embroidered version of one of my colouring book borders on a scrap of silk that threatened to be too subtle with the gold silk. However, Grandma's old fringing (which I've had for 25-30 years) lifted the design, as did the old blue velvet (Op-Shop). The colours look amazing on my beautiful chaise.

Introducing, the Fabulous... the Ferocious... Kitteeeey... Cat!

Gotta put the Bobble Fringe around the bottom yet.

Firstly I glued extra foam on the top and around the edges, then a couple of layers of cotton wadding on the top, then this double layer to hold it all in place...

Over that I put some old sheeting, so the wadding didn't fluff up through kitty cat...

Kitty in the  winter garden.

The hessian backing is folded under to stop it pulling. I should be able to prize it free if some mishap occurs or if it needs repairing one day. I wrote my name and the year too!

Miaow!