Teddy in the cabin cushion

I had this pieced panel that has been left to wait since September 2009 until I picked it up again this month.

I had been hoping to finish it in August but I never managed to quilt it until earlier this month. I decided on a straight lines quilting design off-centred.

And finally last week I made the cushion cover with some teddy bear fabric that I had in my stash from a few years ago.

My cushion is now finished and teddy is now sitting very comfortably in Miss Strawberry Shortcake's room.

Celine

Autumn wall-hanging

This month, I used a panel I pieced together in October 2009 as part of a challenge to make a skinny wall-hanging.

My starting point this month was this little panel where I had initially sewn the 4 blocks in 2 x 2 rows but I decided I had made enough cushions lately, so I unpicked the panel to sew the blocks in 1 row of 4.

I also used this long-forgotten panel to practise my free-motion quilting and browsed the very resourceful  Free Motion Quilting Project blog before setting on the Sharp Stippling stitch.

I finished sewing the binding last night.

One less UFO in my sewing room, yeah!

Celine

From a lonely teddy to a treasure cushion

This little lonely bear panel was very lonely on my wall since I finished it in 2008 or 2009. It was to be a baby wall hanging but never got finished.

Until this week, when I decided to turn it into a secret pillow / pocket pillow/ treasure cushion / pyjama tidy, you can choose the name!
I cut my panel with a gentle curve to make a pocket in front of the pillow.

I made the body of the pillow with a lovely teddy bear print fabric I had stashed away.

And here is my finished item that I was planning to sale but has been claimed by my daughter already. 

Celine

One floor cushion

It is only early May but I have (already) finished a UFO! I found this pieced top early in February this year. I had pieced it between 9pm and midnight one night of late November or early December 2007 at my LQS mystery night. This was our warm project. The aim was speed over accuracy (cutting several layers at once and fast chain piecing) and it is obvious that accuracy wasn't the focus as points don't always match or are cut off.

Because of the size of my pieced top, it would have made a wall-hanging. But I didn't like the idea of hanging a (badly) pieced quilt on the wall for everyone to look at so I decided to turn it into a floor cushion. I ripped off one row of the top to have a square piece. I added a thin red and a thin black border before quilting my top. I decided to play with the quilting a little and went for a base of squares with echo quilting at different width.

I like that this is now finished and will be useful! And I quite like how it turned out in the end, even if it isn't always well done. The kids love it and have already enjoyed sitting on it, jumping on it, walking on it.... it doesn't bother them that the piecing is not perfect obviously!
Celine

My new zig-zag cushion

Well, it is not even the last day of the month (here at least) and I have finished one UFO! It was even finished last night. I have made a new cushion for my sofa.

I started with this panel that I had pieced in August 2009 for a challenge on the BQL group, the aim was to work with half-square triangles only.

When I digged out this little panel, I wasn't sure how to quilt it so I tried to find some inspiration from a great book I refer to regularly Quilting Makes the Quilt by Lee Cleland. I loved the idea of a decorative stitch off-set from the seam.

I love the effect of the "zip" stitch I have used. I don't tend to use decorative stitch on my quilts, but cushions are a great base for experimenting!
Well one less UFO in my sewing room and one more cushion on my sofa.
Celine

Just before the deadline

I finished one cushion before dinner tonight (Saturday 31st, although I think my post will be published on 1 April Australian time). I have been meaning to do it all month and only picked it up this afternoon. Nothing better than a deadline to get things done!
Anyway I started this cushion I think in January 2010. I had done the middle and the first round of logs (red ones) and I had all the fabric cut. When I picked it up again today, I couldn't remember how to do it properly so after the fourth attempt at adding the first block log I finally got it right!

I love the fabrics I used for the cushion but I didn't really like the method to make it. It is a "stitch and flip" method where you prepared your quilted pieces and sew them together in a way that leaves no raw edge on the top or backing so it is neat and finished once it's pieced. And although I didn't enjoy the method to make the cushion, I really like how it turned out. It looks lovely finished on the sofa in the living room, so much better than in pieces in a plastic bag under my sewing table!
Celine

Mystery UFO finished

I finished one UFO yesterday

but I can't show a picture as yet because I need to send it to the recipient first, hence the name for now of Mystery UFO.

Of course I am happy and proud to have finish one UFO of my list. But I am also ashamed it has taken me so long because this was a friendship project. I gathered the blocks in the Spring last year with a view of assembling and finishing the quilt to send it off in the summer. But life got in the way, I spent most of the summer with no energy, resting most of the time and being signed off work. Then I went back to work in September and I must admit I did pick that project first because I had so much to catch up with. So I only picked the blocks again towards the end of last year with the idea of finally making the quilt. I managed to piece the top before Baby Daughter was born but didn't go any further so, of course, it had been waiting since. Finally earlier this month, I picked it up again to add the border, quilt the top and this last week add the binding. The quilt is now finish and ready to fly!

Celine