Patchwork Cushion Reveal

I've mentioned the patchwork cushion that I've been making in various blog posts since I started it back in  May.  Well, today I have finally finished it.  It is going to live in our bedroom on the wicker chair so I made it in shades of grey to match the decor.  I used the same fabrics as for my patchwork workshop lavender cushion, which has found a home in my underwear drawer.  Some fabrics were cut from items of clothing worn by my daughter when she was small, one was Laura Ashley vintage that I had bought on eBay a while ago now and some was new and bought locally specifically to finish the project.

Today, after much stitching, unpicking and re- stitching, I finally fitted a zip and sewed up the sides to complete it.  The zip wasn't grey unfortunately, as I didn't have one long enough, but never mind as it isn't that visible.   I didn't want to go out and buy one specially when I had a huge stash at home that needed using, that I'd picked up in charity shops and market stalls.

So, here it is.  I'm quite pleased with the finished result, especially because I know how much time, love and effort went into it.

 

Here's a close-up of the fabrics used.

 

 

It's not perfect and some of the stitching is a little visible but isn't that one of the lovely things about handmade items.  It gives it it's uniqueness.

 

It has been quite a long process making it, which has made me question whether or not to make a quilt or throw next, but I did enjoy it.  I figure that if I don't pressure myself to finish by any specific date, I might just enjoy a project that I can just pick up and do a bit of here and there whilst watching TV.  I do actually find it very satisfying to hand sew as I feel a greater sense of ownership, but it is very time consuming.  I guess not everything can be done quickly so it might help me develop more patience.

I think with this next patchwork project I will use larger pieces of fabric and use squares instead of hexagons for a change and see how it goes.  I have some ready cut that I was going to machine sew, but now I think I'd actually prefer to hand sew them together, so I am going to get started on this soon.  I'll keep you posted periodically.

It was good to get back to my sewing machine.  Whilst there I also started on another small project that I'd been meaning to do for a while, namely making a beanbag or floor cushion for my daughter's bedroom.  I used an old curtain and sewed up two sides ready to fill.  Bean bag filling is quite expensive so I may look for second hand beanbags in charity shops and use their filling, or alternatively find a large floor cushion to put inside.  I'll post when I've finished it.