Mud, Pies and Pins

Usually when I sit down to stitch something I have a fairly clear idea in my mind of what I am going to make and how it will turn out. My latest project, however, was a bit of an ever evolving design.

Last month Rachel over at Stitched in Color announced that she was holding a contest to win a Fat Quarter set of the complete Shelburne Falls collection. To enter we had to submit a picture of something we had made using one or more prints from the collection. I love these fabrics so decided I would enter because, as my Dad would say, “if you’re not in, you can’t win “. Of course before I could do that I had to get my hands on some fabric. Thank heavens for the Internet and online shopping!

My initial idea was to make a simple cushion similar to the Mother’s Day/Easter cushion I recently gifted my Mum. I was going for flowers on the front and a plain envelope style back. Yesterday I made my flowers. Then today the plans changed. I decided I was going set my flowers within a border (using the fabric that was intended for the back) and make a second framed design for the back, something with a bird. So I set aside my flowers again, got a design together and started making up what was to be the back of my cushion.

The back shaped nicely once finished I finally started putting the front together and making use of my flowers. More changes. I decided the three flowers I had initially made were too much. Two would suffice.

Now of course I had an extra flower, no where to put it, and a dilemna as I do so hate waste. Seeing my cushion panels side by side I was struck with more inspiration. Why make one cushion when you can make two. My extra flower could go on the back of my flower cushion.

Of course that meant I needed another bird – for the back of my second cushion. Back to the designs I went.

Colours changed, zips were introduced, the machine was threaded and rethreaded but eventually, after a long day, and night, of sewing, I was done.