Sometimes less is best....

Wow has it really been a month since my last post!! Gosh I need to get my butt in gear and get back into it.  I have no excuses now school is back and we have settled in.  My only excuse is.....well I don't have one.
Amanda from apppleberry Kids posted a pic of  some fabric baskets made in my Owls and Ladders design.  They are so appealing and it made me just want to pick up my owls and sew!  I thought I would show how little fabric you need of your main print to make fabulous products.  I whipped up some cushions (I have a cushion fetish), one is a large cushion using both Owls and Ladders and Hoot, the other is using just a strip of Owls and Ladders with a basic calico. 

They both look great but the small cushion has used the tinest piece of main print and you still get a gorgeous end result.  I have used a high quality quilting thread on both the cushions, the large one I have hand quilted to add a bit of original detail and the small one I have machine stitched.  You can create a totally different look with the same thread just using a different technique.

So when you're out indulging in fabric shopping,  don't forget to pick up some good basics for your stash.  Also shop around for some quality threads and trims that you can add to just about anything.  A good home stash of basic supplies can make any spontaneous craft project and every little bit of scrap fabric transformed into something special.

OH!! Is that Saffron Craig's Owl quilt kit in the March edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine siting next to those inviting cushions? Yes it is!

The large cushion consists of 30 x 6.5 x 4.5in rectangles (I measure in inches when cutting fabrics for piecing). 15 rectangles of each fabric.  You will need a 35cm cut of each fabric to make the cushion top but you will have some fabric left over. I have used calico for the back and filled with toy fill then hand stitched closed. 

The finished cushion is 76x60cm.

With smaller cushion, I used a 35cm insert and the strip of Owls and Ladders fabric is 3 x 14in.  The rest is constructed with calico.  Once again I have hand stitched closed so these covers are not removable.  If you want to be able to wash them then you will need to make the covers removable by adding an opening in the back and closing it with either a zipper or buttons.  Keep in mind you will need to allow a few extra inches in your backing fabric if this is what you want to do. 

 

Until next time......