Week #35 - Mini Cushions Galore!

Before I tell you all about project #35, I just wanted to report that with thanks to The Folkhouse Cafe and bar, and all those who came along to make bookmarks or donate, I was able to add an additional £35.00 for the ongoing total for Macmillan which makes week #34 a success.

This week I decided to do something a little bit different. As a quilter I hoard fabric and never get rid of small scraps, at the same time when I buy new fabric I  hold on tightly to my new big pieces of fabric, not wanting to cut into them.  This results in my saving lots of little scraps 'just in case' and on the flip side, hoardings loads of gorgeous graphic prints until I know what to do with them.

Lately I've been doing lots of cushion making; cushion making courses, cushions for sale, patchwork cushions and on, and on.  Now cushions are a great way to play with your stash, because they let you play with fabrics on a small scale and you can cut into your bigger pieces and work with them, without committing loads of your yardage. You can play with the fabrics while still saving enough for something bigger.

While I always get lots of praise for my big cushions, be it patchwork cushions or ones made with bold prints, they don't always sell on my stall or in shops because decor is so personal and I tend to use quite bold colours and contrasting patchworks...

So after a little inspiration from my trip to Argentina, I've decided to introduce: the mini cushion!

Such a simple idea, and yet so effective. Add a splash of colour or a bit of whimsy, without having to go the whole nine yards and buy a 16-inch whopper.  These little cushions are so fun, and they are also great stacked and bundled up as gifts.

The beauty is that I'm only work with small bits of fabric, so they don't cost much to make and they are quick and simple!

I'll be auctioning off two of these little cushions this week on E-bay.... and do stay tuned because I'm catching up and week #36's craft is coming your way this evening!

Check out the auctions as they go live this evening below:

Week #21.5 - Curious Cushion

If you've been paying attention you'll know that I've been on holiday and that week #21 was a craft clearout week - but those who are extra sharp will know that I didn't actually make anything last week, so I'm now posting week #21.5 (really my 21st project) and I'll be catching up soon with project #22.

Since reading this post on Mollie Makes about Amy Butler's husband David Butler's new line of fabric called 'Curious Nature' I have been itching to get my hands on a few fat quarters to have a play with myself.... and since going overboard and buying myself quite a few meters of the fabric, I've been itching (bus also a little hesitant) to get making with it.

It's been one of those situations where I covet the fabric so much, and know I want to make something for myself with it, but because I don't know how much I'll need or what I'd like to do with it, I just can't seem to get going with it.  So rather than start cutting and piecing and let my work go to waste, I decided I could spare a few strips and donate them to the 52 weeks : 52 crafts project as means of getting myself going and getting started playing with the fabric.

Add in a not-so-great weekend of weather, a tutorial for a 'Strippy Pillow' that's been on my tute-do list for quite a few months, and a full day of terrible films on telly (and I do mean terrible - Speed 2: Cruise Control, anyone?) and I found myself in the perfect storm of crafting.

I followed this tutorial from Quilting in the Rain but cut my own strips a bit larger (3 inch strip instead of the usual 2 1/2 in from a jelly roll) and spaced mine a little further apart.  I also decided to make the cushion soft and cosy by using a contrasting corduroy for the background.

and here is how I did;

I suppose I especially loved working with this fabric because it is 'very me', and because I struggle to find modern but not too girly fabric to work with... but also I just love the way the actual pattern designs both perfectly contrast and perfectly complement one another.  On their own the fabrics seem a bit dull and read as very sort of 'gun-shot grey' as I described it to someone, but together all sorts of deep blues and bluey greens start to emerge and they come together to create a sort of muted vibrance if that makes any sense. (Probably just hit about a 10/10 on the poncey meter).

(from the side here you can see the corduroy back)

Anyway, the slight shame I felt from indulging myself and purchasing these fabrics is long gone, and in fact I think I might have to buy just a few more pieces in different colours - I especially love some of the brighter greens and darker greys (my favourite below) and can't wait to mix them into the bunch.

As you may have guessed (clever you!) this cushion will be going on sale to raise more funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. 

Currently my spring clear out is happening, but as these auctions end the cushion will be listed and it will appear below:

** please note the auctions below update only once an hour, so there may be less time to bid than you think! please click to follow the link.

In the meantime why not browse through the auctions ending this evening, and stay tuned to the blog for some of my holiday pics and crafty finds in France!