A new cushion.....

Hello Everyone hope you are all happy and smiling and have had a good day or night wherever you are in the world.  It is so lovely to see everyone again, you all make my day.  Thanks for dropping by, would you like a tea or coffee, some cake maybe?  All totally calorie free of course.

I had a day off today and went over to Plumley to join in the fantastic sewing group which the lovely Sue from Creative Stitchers has created.  You may remember that she was the wonderful lady who helped me to make my red dress in a weekend.  Sue is the most fabulous sewer - please have a look at her blog and see the wonderful dress she has made for her friend's wedding which was this weekend.  I saw the wedding dress when I was at Sue's house for the course and thought it was out of this world - the detail and the personal touches were fantastic.  I know that Sue is going to post some  photographs of the wedding so please have a look and marvel at the expertise and the sheer drama of the work. 

It is the first time I have visited Sue's group and they made me so welcome.  It is a fair trek from my home - about an hour in the car - but well worth it for the three hours which just flew by.  Everyone was so helpful and friendly - one lovely lady helped me to cut out my cushion cover properly and after talking to her I am going to invest in a proper cutting mat and ruler as I am ashamed at the way I cut fabric - so hit and miss.  If I am going to do this properly I need the correct tools and should learn how to use them properly - there, I have told myself off now!

I was following Lilly Blossom's wonderfully clear pattern and had found some fabric in the sewing room.

 



I think it must be from IKEA by the look of it - what do you think Folks?  I also chose red gingham as I thought this would be a good contrast to the main bold colours of the fabric.  After struggling a bit with the straight edges I was helped out by my fellow sewer and off I went. 

It was such an easy pattern to follow as long as I took my time with it.  I had copied the pattern in black and white but colour would have been a lot easier, although to be fair Lilly Blossom does use enough contrasting fabrics to make each piece easy to distinguish from the rest.

Time flew past quickly as we sat, chatted and sewed.  I love being with creative people and hearing all their stories.  What I am finding so interesting is that I always assume that everyone is so experienced and has been crafting for years but often they are just like me, newbies starting out on their journey.

 

 

The other thing I find is that I always learn a little something new from someone in the groups - little tips which you might not find in any sewing books but things which come from experience, invaluable.

I was on the home straight now but conscious that time was moving on.

The sewing group is held in the village hall which is so sweet - everyone is made welcome so if you are around that corner of the world please get in touch with Sue as I know she would love to meet you all and so would I.

Now lovely Readers I have told you many times that I can be a bit slap dash at times (a lot of times actually) so instead of rechecking the instructions I ploughed ahead wanting to finish the cushion cover before I went off.  I thought I had done it and was feeling quite pleased with myself then..........I realised that I had done something wrong.  I had left out a small section and not turned the facing over and stitched it on the wrong side.  It was too late to do anything about it and I should have asked Sue to check it over before I finally sewed it all up but I didn't.  I was really cross with myself but thought well - you have learned something else today - stop rushing.

I had time to visit my Mum and stayed for a cuppa and a piece of cake before heading home.  It was really getting to me that I hadn't taken more time.  As soon as I got in the door - after saying hello to my husband - I got all the work out and went through it again.  It was only a small error but made such a difference.  I just unpicked it all and then re-stitched it after tea - and it worked.

 

I love the Swedish design, I am a real sucker for this style.  I hopefully have enough for another two cushions so I have learned a lot from this exercise.

I have loads of ideas buzzing around my head now about Christmas cushions, personalised cushions, all manner of cushions - no zips or piping, just straightforward which suits me fine at this stage.  Hope you like the cover Folks, let's know what you think.

I have another project pressing because I wanted to make one of my granddaughters who is at university and is 20 this year a special cushion.  I had this pattern from Lillyblossom and loved it because it contained all the letters of the alphabet which are so handy for appliqué.

I think I can get away with the name Lauren as it is not too long and would make a nice present to go on her bed or on the window ledge - any ideas about the colours Folks - she likes reds, pinks and blues so I can't decide whether to make them all the same colour with different coloured letters and ribbons - any thoughts or comments would be really welcome. 

 

Thank you Lilly Blossom for another fabulous pattern.  Just have a look at her website as I have spotted a really cool retro fabric which she uses to cover diaries or books - really super gifts for Christmas, particularly if you can personalise them a little with someone's initials or name.  I really want to have a go at this as diaries are always a favourite gift for my friends and these covers take something quite ordinary and make it really unique. 

 

Before I finish this evening lovely creative folks out there I wanted to put out a very special message to a wonderfully talented lady who reads my blog.  The one things I am finding over and over again is that the creative world is full of very sensitive and empathic people who are in tune with the world and others.  The lady (J) I am talking about is so talented and can turn her hand to anything but and it is a big but, doesn't believe in herself. 

 

She has been going through such a tough time with her health and trying to keep her home and children/husband going and is doing a fantastic job when others would have given up.  I am trying to encourage her to dip her toe in the water and try to put some of her lovely things on Etsy or Ebay but I think she underestimates her talent and thinks no one would be interested.  I know that they would - her dream is to craft and sell but she is held back.  Could I ask you all a big favour - through my blog could you send her some encouragement and support - she is in such a lonely place at the moment.

 

Thank you all so much everyone, you are such a fantastic group of people and I am blessed that you visit my blog.  I appreciate all your comments and even if you don't leave any message I thank you for visiting.  I hope to write very soon and send love to you all.  Take care, have fun and enjoy yourselves.  Dorothy :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxx