Sunday 31 January 2016

January Sewing Challenge - The Finished Cushion

Yay, I did it!  I made a cushion before the end of the month and here it is:


The design is inspired by a motif I saw in a colouring book.  I chose the fabrics based on colours I tried both on paper and on the laptop.


I'm not sure that I like it that much.  It's OK but the idea seemed better than the outcome.  I would have liked to make a slightly different version of this design, but that would have entailed some precision cutting and a lot more sewing. Maybe something I'll revisit.  The important thing is that I made something and dusted off those cobwebs. It would probably have helped if I hadn't left it until almost the last minute!  On to the next challenge!

Wednesday 27 January 2016

January Sewing Challenge - Cushion

So here's the thing: I've become addicted to accumulating the stuff involved in crafting (the materials: paper, fabric, yarn etc., and the tools) rather than the crafting itself! As a result, when I find that I have a little time to engage in some lovely crafty activity, I get overwhelmed by the sheer choice that faces me and end up suffering from creative constipation.  Sorry to be a bit crude, but you know that feeling when you really want to create something, but you're so surrounded by options that you just don't know where to start and you end up doing nothing?  Well, that's been me for the past couple of years.

I've developed a real interest in papercrafting, but I still love to crochet and I'd love to get back into embroidery and sewing.  One thing that I find helps me to get past the mental block is to join in with blog challenges.  I don't always keep up, but it's a great way to get past the uncertainty of "What should I make?" So with that in mind I've decided to set myself a monthly sewing challenge with a different cue word each month.



The word for January is "cushion".  This seems very apt for me as I have about 7 cushion pads hanging around the house just waiting to be encased in fabric loveliness. In true style I'm well behind schedule, but there are 4 and a bit days left in January and I'm nothing if not optimistic!  I had grand visions of patchwork perfection, but perhaps that will have to wait for another time.  I just hope that the sheer volume of fabric that I have to choose from doesn't leave me bunged up (creatively speaking of course!).