26 Inch Swoon Cushion

 

The last time I went on a trip to Minneapolis not only did I go to my favourite fabric store but I also went to IKEA, I had a plan in mind and dragged along hubby to be my helper!  I wanted some cushion inserts and knew that they were pretty cheap at IKEA.  Well I hit a jackpot they  also had duck feathered cushions.  I bought 6 of the 20 inch cushions and also bought a 26 inch cushion too.  I had plans to make the 26 inch cushion into a swoon pillow for my bed.  After using up some of the half square triangles the other day I was on a roll with making cushions so decided to make a Swoon Cushion and here it is

This time I fussy cut the centre square of the star using the same fabric I used for the border on my quilt and then incorporated the binding fabric into the star and used up a fat quarter I had left over from originally making my swoon quilt.  I think from now on when I buy fat quarters to make a quilt I will buy a few extra just in case I want to make cushions or I mess up cutting.

 

This cushion is just perfect for relaxing in bed and reading a good book. I am currently reading 40 Love by Sophie Kinsella, a completely easy read that requires no effort the sort of book that you read just before bed. What are you reading at the moment, have you a favourite book you can recommend.

Half Square Triangles–Cushion

 

You may have seen the Swoon Quilt I finished up recently, if not you can read all about it here and here.

If you have made one of these quilts and you make the half square triangles (HST) as shown in the pattern you will know by the end of piecing the quilt top that you will have absolutely loads and loads of HST left over! They measure approx. 2.5" inches

A little bit like this

 

I have been wondering what to do with all the HST for a while now and I decided  it was about time I did something with them, So on Saturday evening at  about 9pm I got the bright urge to make some cushions! I then proceeded to spend the rest of the evening sewing searching for ideas on a design. I saw some great photos and found lots of inspiration but to be honest I have no idea where I got this particular idea from as I looked at so many different photos and blogs. What I have found out is that I think the pattern I settled on is called “Raising the Barn”. Please let me know if I am completely wrong.

So at about 11pm I sat down with my design board  poster boards covered in batting and my HST I came up with a layout that I liked, and I was going to say I whipped it up in no time, but that’s not true at all, I was tired and went to bed, and started sewing the next day. And this is what I ended up with……………

I used the  Zippered Pillow Back Tutorial by Amy who blogs over at Amy Made That and if your interested my new blogging friend Chrissie who blogs over at Made by Chrissied  also has a great Cushion /Pillow Tutorial  it  is a little bit different and uses double sided fusible to attach the zip into place to make it easier to sew, I am sure if you are zip challenged like I am then this will certainly help you. I  added a bright turquoise zip to contrast with the zip flap on the cushion which I forgot to photograph!  For the quilting I  sewed two diagonal lines across from each corner.

 

 

I am pretty pleased with the way this cushion turned out as it matches my swoon quilt beautifully.

 

The cushion insert for my pillow is a duck feathered  filling, 20x20 inches, from Ikea, if you need cushions this is the place to buy them,  they are pretty cheap too at $6.99. I can’t wait for another trip to Ikea to buy more.  Luckily when I was there last time I bought a few!

Union Jack and Bee Blocks

I missed WIP Wednesday this week, probably due to the excitement of finishing my sons graduation quilt!

but I am working on something, a little something for ME!  These are my tester blocks for a Bee I am taking part in (see details below).

I am  participating in a online Bee with a group of ladies I met from a 3x6 Bee that I took part in on Flickr.  We all got along so well we decided to have our own Bee, we have named ourselves “Stars in their Eyes”  With this Bee we choose what blocks we would like other members to make us and they use their own fabric, so it saves on the cost of sending out fabric, I like it this way.

May is our first month of doing this and its Lisa's month, she requested +&X blocks, these are so much fun to make.  We will normally be making 2 blocks for the persons whose month it is, Lisa's blocks are only 8 inches so instead of the 2,  I made four, also because I wanted to see how this would go together, Lisa is making this quilt for Molly.  I am excited to see how this all comes together, its going to be beautiful.

 

Graduation Quilt–Think Positive

 

My son graduates this month! so I decided it was time to make him a quilt of his own!

I was originally inspired by the quilts I had seen in blog land made by Carla (who blogs at Coras Quilts) for her teenaged sons.  As it happened I already had the same fabric line in mind!  But wanted to make mine slightly different.  Instead of cutting ALL squares I cut a mixture of rectangles and squares.

The squares are 6 inches finished and the rectangles are 18 inches x 6 inches finished.    

More details about the cushion can be found here

 

Quilted by Sue Tuma

Suez Quilts

Legacy 80/20 batting

Signature cotton, thread color Rail Grey

Fabric - Curious Nature by David Butler

1st border – Kona Black

2nd Border – Kona Delft Blue

Binding  - Kona Black

Cushions/Pillows for the Teenager

Cushions? Pillows?

What do you call them?  If its on your bed it’s a pillow, if its on the sofa it’s a cushion.

I had a few scraps of fabric left over from making my teenager his quilt, so while waiting to get it back from the LAQ I decided to make some cushions.

 

Now you may not be aware but I have a zip phobia and the thought of sewing a zip into a cushion was filling me with dread. I usually make envelope cushions, but the problem with them is that the sometimes gape open and it annoys me. A also didn’t want a zip at the top, I wanted it covered.

 

Its not wonky, I promise, its just where I was holding up the flap so I could show you!

 

 

So I searched high and low for the perfect zippered pillow tutorial.  And WOW I found the perfect tutorial, that made putting a zip in easy peasy!

Check out the Zippered Pillow Back Tutorial by Amy who blogs over at Amy Made That

Here is one of her pillows, look at the fun you can have with contrasting fabrics! 

So if your like me and have a zip phobia or you want to make a really stylish pillow back with a covered zip then this tutorial is for you.

I still have a couple of more pillows to make for the Boy, I just need to buy some pillow forms and then I can share them with you.

I can see a lot of pillows in my future. Just think of all the different combinations of fabric you could use, Mine is a little plain, but hey its for a teenaged boy so it can’t bee to fancy!

QUILTS FOR BOSTON–A COUPLE OF MORE BLOCKS

 

Did you read this post I blogged about?  If not be sure to check it out!!

I spent the afternoon today, in my sewing room making more blocks,  so after I finished these blocks I decided it was time to go and get some much needed sun and happy weather!  So I did a little photo shoot! Do you know how difficult it can be when your trying to take photos of blocks, the wind is not helpful at all!

 

 

 

QUILTS FOR BOSTON–churn dash block

Do you have a few minutes to spare this weekend?  If so read on…………

Have you heard about Quilts for Boston.  The Boston Modern Quilt Guild are collecting blocks to make quilts for those that were directly affected by the bombing and the subsequent events.

 

Blocks should be blue, yellow, gray, and white. All blocks should be 12½” tall x the width of your choice. That could mean 12½” x 7”, 12½” x 12½”, or anything wider, more narrow, or in between.

You can find more details at the Boston Modern Quilt Guild and there is also a Flickr Group where you can post quilt blocks you have made.

Here is my block, if I have time I hope to make some more, but we have been a little busy trying to make the most of the gorgeous weather we have had this weekend after nearly 5 months of winter weather!