Cushion Covers for Mom

You guys are always an amazing source of suggestions when I find myself stuck for inspiration.  I am hoping you can, once again, toss a few gems my way to get me started.

You see, my lovely mom had a birthday recently.  I thought I would make her a few cushion covers for a new couch my mom and dad just added to the living room.  The furniture in this room is quite neutral (three pieces in cream or beige or caramel golden brown), so we thought adding in a few quilted cushion covers would brighten the room up while keeping them in their decorating comfort zone.

The pop of color in the room comes from the quilts I made them.  Mom's quilt is from 2011 made with French General prints.  I can not find this same line of fabrics in online shops, but thankfully French General is quite consistent in their color choices.  I picked up a two FQs of reds, one of the darker blue and a yard of a small print neutral to use in the cushions, so I am ready to go there.

Dad's quilt was made A) to be a man quilt and B) to coordinate with their neutral living room color scheme.  It's far outside my normal choice of bright rainbow fabrics, but it suits him and the room quite well.  I gave away all of my scraps from this project, but I know this line is a Makower basic that is still available in shops.  I can scoop some up without a problem.

So, here is the challenge given to me by Mom:  to make 2 cushion covers (for 18x18 inch inserts) that combines the fabric from both quilts in one combined quilt block.  

1) Have you ANY idea of a block that would suit these two lines?  Mom loves cathedral windows blocks - she's lost her mind if she thanks she's getting cushion covers with cathedral windows!  

2) What fabrics would you use from Dad's quilt to coordinate with Mom's French General reds/creams? I can't see how I could include the blue, green and grey, but I could work with the browns in combination with Mom's reds/blues.  Would that still be coordinated enough? 

3) Would you make two with the same block or would you make two totally different cushion covers?  

They don't want it too bright or too dark (this is not how they're making a design statement) but they do want it to be a pretty splash of color on their couch.  Any ideas are welcome!  Thank you!

P.S. Mom and Dad subscribe to my blog via email.  They are going to be very surprised to find themselves here in this post.  Hi guys!  Talk to you on Sunday.

9 Feb 2015: Edited to add a comment from my mom:

What a surprise to find us featured on the blog! Cindy did an excellent job of describing the “problem”. We both love our quilts and cuddle up with them every night, so we’d like some colorful pillows that work with both quilts and add a little sparkle to the room. Also, I do love cathedral windows but that’s not a requirement. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I’m sure we’ll love our new pillows. Thank you honey.

  

Handmade Christmas 2014

Hello!  It's been a long long time since we have had a good chat.  I hope you are all well and enjoying the last week of the year.  I hope you are snuggled in at home with your family/pets/friends, lazying around, eating too much and sewing to your heart's content.  

Although the blog has been quiet, I have been sewing quite a bit lately.  There is a lot to tell you, but I am sure I will miss out on smaller projects like bee blocks, etc.  If you want to see it ALL, pop over to Instagram (@fluffysheepquilting) and page through my photos for the latest news.  

Where to start?  How about those super top secret Christmas gifts I was making but could not tell you about?  For now we will stick to the success stories - I will tell you about the total failure later.  

At the Modern Quilting Guild of Ireland meetup last September, we had a craft book swap.  I picked up a book on knitting animal hats.  I know  I am a bit too old/distinguished for this kind of get up, but I thought it might work well for my (nearly) 2 year old niece, Nieve.  

I choose a kitten pattern primarily because it's the only one that I could understand.

I am not the best knitter, but I am persistent.  This was in no way easy for me - I had to re-stitch the hat portion at least 4 times, had a hard time finding a semi-appropriate yarn and kind of made up a good bit on my own.  In the end, though, I had a kitten hat that any 2 year old might be proud (?!?!?) to wear...

The ears are slightly out of proportion and the cheeks a little mal-aligned.  It can be/was also mistaken for a rabbit.  But it fits Nieve and she seems to like wearing it.  We'll call it a success.  I will just need to become a much better knitter as she grows older....hiding my mistakes will become more difficult with time!

Nieve has also become interested in one of my most favorite pastimes: coloring.  While we were together over Thanksgiving, we spent a lot of time drawing, coloring and stickering our creations.

For Christmas, then, I wanted to make her a little tote and portable crayon wallet to bring her crayons and notebooks anywhere she goes.  I started with a little tote tutorial by Jennie of Clover and Violet that is the PERFECT size for this young lady.  It was a very well written tutorial that stitched up in no time.  I used Fancy Free fabrics from the shop as they're girly, but not overwhelmingly pink AND they have bicycles...which Nieve loves.

On the front there's a little ruffle detail on two of the rows...

and on the back an extra large piece of bicycle fabric for her enjoyment.

Sticking with Fancy Free fabric, I made a coordinating crayon wallet for this budding artist.  I choose a tutorial by Modest Maven as it was specifically crated to hold scrap fabric and not a store bought pad of paper.  The little crayon pockets also can hold the fatty crayons or the skinny crayons, so it will grow along with Nieve's skills.  

There's more bicycle fabric on the exterior WITH my very first snap.  I have to say, putting in a snap twisted my brain a bit.  I got there in the end.  

Fully stocked....

Or without paper so you can see the lining fabric.  How cute!

In a completely surprising stroke of luck, it turns out that the crayon wallet fits PERFECTLY into a pocket I installed on the inside of the tote.  Don't I look like a forward thinker?  Ha!

Thank you for brilliant tutes, Modest Maven and Clover & Violet.  You made my Christmas stitching easy as pie!  

Circle of Friends: Such a Wonderful Surprise

Every day I appreciate my quilty friends.  You guys inspire me, give me a laugh, put life in perspective and remind me how real and touching friendship is, no matter how close or far you live from one another.  Monday afternoon, though, that friendship came into my home in a very real way.  And I broke down and cried in the kitchen. 

Let me (with great humility) show you the most gorgeous quilt that has entered this house: Circle of Friends.  

Goodness I wish I had prettier, more inspired photos to show you.  I was just running around like a loon trying to snap photos before the rain started and/or the sun set! 

This quilt was made for my partner and I by a lovely group of ladies separated by miles and miles (in Ireland, England, Morocco, N. Ireland, Scotland, Australia/NZ, Canada and the USA), but who support one another in any way we can.  I am so grateful to call these ladies my friends: Annabella, Emily, Hadley, Helen, Judith, Lucy, Nicky, Kat, Leanne, Rhonda, Sarah, Sarah and Susan.  We met one another through blogs, swaps and bees but over years became very real life friends.  Many of us have met in person, many of us have not.  That does not in any way diminish the bond we all share.   

You see, my partner and I have been through quite a difficult spring due to illness.  Each day we heal and take one step closer to re-gaining what was our normal life.  This circle of friends popped in/out with well wishes, giggles in the evenings when the house was quiet, and sanity checks when I was pretty sure I was loosing it.  All the while, they were secretly stitching away.  Who knew?

I can nearly mentally assign each block to each buddy with their fabrics shining through.  They were stitched together with love, then quilted in an amazing, symbolic spiral pattern.  The back is an adorable heart print with the biggest (most fantastic) quilt label I have ever seen!

I so wish I had a better photo for the siggy block/label.  Susan (in general) has a way more beautiful, more complete post here you can read.  I'm still scattered and a-buzz with emotion trying to put this post together. Her post is way more coherent.

They even thought to make a gorgeous cushion cover of coordinating blocks in a matching quilted spiral.  Perfect!  It has a super green cord back.  I'd love a skirt in this fabric!  This is going to look so amazing on the couch and I'll think of you guys each and every time I walk into the living room.

Honestly it's prettier in person.  I should have ironed it before taking photos.  Sorry, guys!

Let me tell you, though, of Brian's impression when seeing this quilt.  I had about 30 minutes to mentally digest its arrival and meaning, then I ran outside (ripped the laundry from the line) and popped the quilt up to take photos before the big rain drops came.  Brian came home during the photo shoot and our conversation when something like this:

Me: Come on over here and let me show you something.

Brian: Sure.  Ooo.  That's pretty!

Me:  Amazing, huh?  It's a gift.

Brian: That's way to nice to give away.  You should keep it.

Me: Um...no.  It's a gift from my friends to us.  A little love after our spring.

Brian: Seriously?  Look at the little pieces.  Wait.  Is this all quilted in one continuous spiral?  Holy (bleep-'n) frijole!

He loves it.  I love it.  And we both thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  xx (with kisses and more tears...the good kind)

Incognito Wallet

For those who get weirded out by feminine hygiene products, you might just skip reading this post and come back tomorrow.  For those with a witty sense of humor, I can't wait to read your comments below.

A little while ago, I got a request from a friend to make "something to keep my tampons from flying out of my purse".  Flying tampons is a problem, indeed.  I had a good search for a tutorial to follow, but was not able to find something that I really liked.  I did, however, find this pattern that looked interesting.

And I gave it a go, making one wallet.  This may just be the tester version.  Now that I kind of know what I am doing, I think I can make the next one a bit better.  

It's a tri-fold wallet with a little strap that wraps around the whole purse, holding it together with a little piece of Velcro.

Inside there are little pleated pockets for tampons (five here), followed by a pocket for a little, folded panty liner (middle huge red pocket) and finally a pocket for pain meds (blue, on the right).  There's more than enough space to hold everything you need in your bag.  Maybe a bit too much...it is a wee bit chunky and not at all subtle for a small handbag, contrary to what I anticipated given it's the Incognito Wallet.

Although I am reasonably happy with the fabrics used here and with the overall layout, there are two mistakes that are driving me crazy.  The first little pocket (total left) is too small for a tampon as I didn't take the final seam allowance into account.  Stinker.  It's also a small bit of a "free for all" when you're lining up the pocket with the outer casing.  I didn't realize that mine went on a bit wonky, leaving it at an angle.  Both are easy to fix in version two.  I'll have to give it another try this weekend...or I may have had enough and am ready to move on.  Time will tell.

In other news, I am so happy to tell you that the 56 spots in our rainbow charm swap are filled.  There are lots of new faces/names in this swap, so I am very excited to get to know you all better.  Thank you all for your enthusiasm! 

Gift for a new business owner

Are you looking for the Fluffy Sheep Quilting Charm Swap?  Click here and join in!

I love hair day.  I love getting my hair cut, loosing the (ahem) greys and the little bit of pampering that goes along with the whole experience. I have two lovely women at the hair studio who put in a great effort trying to make me pretty and I really enjoy my time visiting with them during the whole process. 

The last time I was there, though, one of those fab ladies gave me some news...she was leaving (what!?!) to start her own business doing hair before weddings.  Well, she'd be perfect for it!  She's smart, kind, friendly and does a fab job, so why not strike out on her own?  As a small business owner I was thrilled for her.  Totally selfishly, as a girl who need a lot of hair help, I was quite sad to see her go.

Anyway, I went home and started thinking that I'd like to make something small for her to start off on her own.  What would have been helpful for me?  I'm always without a business card.  It's shameful really.  A business card holder would be perfect.

Armed with Half Moon Modern scissors, the perfect print,  I got to work from there using this tute

I had to trade out the button and elastic for ribbon as I can't seem to find hair ties that are skinny enough to suit a project like this.  I'll keep looking...

In side I used a bit of Sweetest Thing from the shop.  I really love that line.  It seems to go with everything.

My little cards fit, so here's hoping hers do too.  I'll stop back to hide the greys in another two weeks armed with my little gift.  Hope she thinks its fun and I wish her the best of luck in her new business!

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A little note for those interested in the Fluffy Sheep Quilting charm swap.  Please, please please be sure you leave your email address if you are a no reply commenter. Will Mrs Giggles, Elisa, Keela and Grainne please email me so I have your addresses?  I am holding a spot for each of you but as the 56 spaces fill I will have to swap you out for those who I can email.  I'm sorry.