Good evening,
I’m trying to catch up on some posts that should have been shared with you ages ago. This one could have been published two months back if I’d had some free time. Life gets in the way of blogging sometimes doesn’t it?
Anyway, a dear friend of mine had a birthday in May. She is the type of person who is always so incredibly busy, making and doing and caring for everyone else, that she rarely makes anything for herself. At times I think her brain is wired in a way which means she doesn’t even think about herself. She’s also been having a tidy up of her crafty goodies and passed some of them onto me. Well, it was about time she had a nice present and as it was her birthday as well, she was doubly deserving.
I’d made a storm at sea block for Esther as part of a recent block swap (see previous post) and decided to make a different part of that block as a cushion front for my friend. Here’s what it looks like.
I know I’m going to make a lot more of these blocks. They are so striking and I love all the spikey bits. It’s amazing how much enjoyment you can get from making one project, especially when it is for a gift. I kept the quilting very simple so as not to compete with the patchwork design, using variegated thread which has quite a bit of lustre, almost metallic.
You’ve probably guessed there was a lot of starting and stopping of the machine when quilting around each of the shapes. The quilting alone took a whole day to complete but I enjoyed every minute.
I decided to experiment and didn’t think it would work, but it did. I had planned to line the cover with the same white solid fabric but didn’t want the dark thread ends or the quilting to show on the inside. So I only quilted through the patchwork and the wadding/batting and then lined it. I was concerned the inside of the machine would clog with fluff but it didn’t so the inside looks as good as the outside I think.
My friend had no idea what I was making for her. In fact, I thought she might have seen the beginnings of the patchwork when she came to play in my sewing room but I got away with it. Phew!
I promise it won’t be so long before I post again.
Avis x
Oh Sew Tempting 
adaisygarden
/ July 16, 2015Pretty! Love those colors!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Thank you. Me too 🙂
witchylin
/ July 16, 2015I just have to say I am the very happy recipient of the gorgeous cushion. It really is beautifully made with not a stitch or point out of place. I have it on my favourite chair in the living room and everytime I see it I have to smile. Avis is such a kind and generous person I’m lucky to have her for a friend.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Hi Lin, You are very welcome to the cushion and I’m blushing 🙂 It’s lovely to hear that you are using it on your favourite chair too. I hope you are finding some time to yourself for crafting. x
alyciadianne
/ July 16, 2015That is beautiful! Those colors are absolutely stunning
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015I’ve always loved blues. Maybe it’s because I live by the sea 🙂
alyciadianne
/ July 17, 2015Lucky! Lol That’s exactly what that pillow reminds me of
treadlemusic
/ July 16, 2015And you BOTH are such sweeties…I am blessed to have you both as “friends across the pond”!!!!!!! That is so pretty and perfectly finished……INside and out!!! Catching up on blog post reading/writing seems to be a common thread (!! sorry, couldn’t resist..hehe!) across the blogosphere these days (at least the ones I read!). Many hugs………………………
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Thank you Doreen 🙂 Now I’m blushing again. You are always so positive! I’m wrestling with a tablet that is doing a fine impersonation of a stroppy teenager at the moment. In fact, it’s literally too hot to handle at times so I’m having to resort to using a phone for blogging. It isn’t easy but what would life be without a challenge?
treadlemusic
/ July 17, 2015My laptop gets very hot, also. I have to put a mat under it. Ugh!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 21, 2015Please, please, please make sure you have all of your data backed up. My laptop overheated and finally gave up on the day after Christmas. It had been overheating for a while and then it just wouldn’t boot up. I was lucky to have my data backed up as the laptop had to be scrapped.
treadlemusic
/ July 21, 2015Yup……..stored in a “cloud” plus photos to thumb drives. I was told that I could purchase an additional fan for it (not that uncommon, I guess!), but the $$$$$ cost is crazy! Will have to get busy on the next purchase…………thanks so much for the warning/reminder!!!! Hugs……..
monique la bretonne
/ July 16, 2015tres beau travail; félicitations
bonne soiree
monique la bretonne
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Thank you Monique. You are so kind 🙂
claire93
/ July 16, 2015I love the way you’ve quilted this with the echo effect and the variagated thread.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015I forgot to add that the white shapes were quilted with white thread LOL.
katechiconi
/ July 16, 2015Another beauty! I hope we’ll be seeing this block on F2F as well; as you say, it’s very striking.
crosstitchery
/ July 17, 2015That is so effective – very striking to the eye.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Yes, this cushion just uses part of the mustard block I made for Esther and it looks completely different. That’s the fun of patchwork 🙂
Kate
/ July 16, 2015Beautiful cushion cover – lucky Esther!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Thank you. I know I’ll be making many more of these blocks. I think there’ll be lots of secondary patterns when there are many of them put together. Plenty of time to experiment 🙂
Julie
/ July 16, 2015Beautiful! I love that pattern and the colors.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Me too. I can see at lot more storms at sea on the horizon 😉
linnyjcreations
/ July 17, 2015Avis, this is stunning. The colour palette is gorgeous and your points are perfect. 🙂
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Thank you Linny. I always try my best 🙂
tialys
/ July 17, 2015This is beautiful – and you are so good at the ‘spikey bits’!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 17, 2015Aw! Thank you 🙂 I love to make spikes and you’ll see many more in Annett’s blocks very soon.
Granny Maud's Girl
/ July 18, 2015I am sure she loved her birthday present. I like how you have mixed several solids to create an interesting design.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 18, 2015Solids are my favourite fabrics 🙂 I’ve been away from blogging for a while so I must catch up with your lovely blog too. See you soon!
Emmely
/ July 20, 2015What a lovely pillow, I love the colours! I’ve also quilted some things without a backing and never had any issues with it.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ July 21, 2015Thànk you. I do like traditional blocks most of all and especially the storm at sea ones. I don’t know why I haven’t made more of them. There is so much variety.