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Thursday, 19 July 2018

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 194 - Red Bluebell Cushion


Reunited at last!  Our settee and armchairs arrived home from the upholsterers on Tuesday, and we couldn't be more pleased with the result.  No more tired and faded brown, we now have a lovely moss green three-piece suite in our front room.  The transformation is incredible.  When I bought my first house in 1983, the vendor, who was in her eighties, included the settee and chairs in the sale.  She had had them since she got married in 1930.  The upholsterer had an interesting time working on them.  Even for their time, they were very solidly built, and the lack of extra tack marks in the wooden framework indicated that they had never been reupholstered before.

When they were delivered home I had three cushions ready use straight away - the poppies cushion, the snakeshead cushion and this one that I finished last week in the William Morris bluebell design.  I have loved working with this fabric.  The overall effect is one of calm symmetry.  Exactly what I want after a busy day - a bit of peace and quiet on the settee.



The symmetry didn't quite carry over to the back.  I decided to make the button band in the same fabric.  The pattern doesn't exactly match, but it doesn't jar either.



The settee is fairly small, so two 20 inch square cushions are more than enough.



The poppies cushion is a little smaller, at 18 inches square, just the right size for the armchairs.

Now I am in a bit of a quandary, not knowing what size cushion to make next.  One, or possibly two more, will probably be enough, but I want to carry on and make hundreds.


Here goes for week 194:-

Many thanks to Cynthia for linking up last week .  If you haven't seem her blog post yet, nip over now and see more:-



It's still hot, so whether you are overheating in the northern hemisphere or shivering in the south, if you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.


If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.


Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

10 comments:

  1. I have the couch my parents bought when I was 5. It is a sofa bed. They had it recovered about 8 years after they bought it, then my inlaws had it recovered for us (gift for when we moved) back in 1995. It still looks great, and is in better shape than the new couch we got 15 years ago. They don't build them like that anymore.

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    1. So true, Cheryl. Apart from beds, we have no new furniture, apart from a couple of things my husband made. Inherited and second hand is always best.

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  2. Your cushions are beatiful. Just found your blog, reading it on my tablet with a bit of difficulty the background pattern makes it hard to read, I don't mean to criticise, just wanted to let you know. Regards Sharon

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    1. Thanks Sharon! I really enjoyed making these cushions.

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  3. Hi Muv, your cushions look great on your settee and chair. Perfect for resting with a book or doing hand-work.

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    1. Thanks Andrée! Not only do the settee and chairs look better, they are so much more comfortable. The upholsterer did a brilliant job.

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  4. What a lovely story about the suite! How lovely that you had it reupholstered and have given it new life rather than buying a new one. Beautiful cushions too.

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    1. Thanks Lizzie! I am in awe of the upholsterer's skill.

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  5. Beautiful job done. I really like the colour. The cushions just set it off. I can see why you want to make more.

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    1. Thanks Cynthia. The next cushion should be coming soon...

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