I have been enjoying my new crafting space/work space/sewing space/studio (I still don't know what to call the space) so much that I haven't spent anytime on the computer, so I have lots to show. This post I'll just show some pillows I have recently finished.
The first is a stitching one.
This is a piece of cross stitch that I had started last year.
The chart is from this Sajou book. I used almost a whole skein of a Thread Worx floss (colour #1070), and stitched (3 over 2) on a 25 count natural linen.
I backed the piece of cross stitch with a dark fabric because I thought it showed off the texture of the fabric better (in the top photo of the cross stitch I was trying out a white piece of cotton and a dark piece).
For the back I used a scrap of blue velveteen, and just did an overlap (it is covered in down in the photo - more on that in a minute).
The next pillow is a quilted one - although there is some stitching too, but not mine.
These are some cross stitch pieces that my Dad has been making recently (the charts are from the book 'Répertoire des Motifs' by Valérie Lejeune). I tea/coffee dyed them (they were on white aida cloth). I pieced them together with 1+1/2" pieces of fabric, and quilted it with a walking foot. The back has a button closure.
I used 1+3/4" single binding to put the front and back together.
I couldn't be happier with the results - I stepped out of my box for the colours for this (there are no reds!).
I made the pillow forms for these two pillows out of a very old, worn out down parka (such a messy, time consuming job - I don't know if I would do it again).
The cross stitch pillow needed a specific size and then I just cut up the rest of the ticking and made the other pillows. The large one needed a bit of feathers from an old pillow because I didn't have enough down from the coat (I am sure only about half of the down from the coat made it into the pillows - I wore a mask and a large plastic apron, and worked in the craft room storage room with the door closed to try and contain the mess).
The next two are tiny pillows ('pin-keeps') that I cross stitched using linen fabric and cotton floss that I dyed (more about that on another post). Both are stitched one strand of floss over two linen threads (1 over 2).
This one is a free pattern from Blackbird Designs -
Souvenir de France. I stitched it on a 28 count linen.
This is one that I designed. It is stitched on 36 count linen (I wanted to see how it was to stitch. It was easier than I thought it would be - with a good light and 3x magnifying glasses).
I finished them both off by machine stitching them all around, making a slit in the back to turn them around, and stuffing them (they are stuffed with shredded wool batting). After the slit is whipped stitched and covered with a felt heart. I learned this technique from a Lori Holt video.
They are only a couple of inches in size,
and fit perfectly in an old basket with sewing things (the basket was given to my Grandmother by her Father-in-Law - full of fruit, when my Dad was born - 86 years ago)
These are more tiny pillows that I finished for my parents - my Dad has been doing lots of stitching during the pandemic (I believe the charts for these are all from the book 'Point de Croix Retro' by Véronique Enginger).
All the best
