Love letter

Just wanted to share with you a photo which Lovely Mum sent me of the letter shaped cushion I made for her last week. It's the letter D, and mum requested that it was made in soft shades. She quite likes light browns, creams and pale greens. So I made it in beige gingham and chose linen fabric for the side. I also choose the dark brown piping to compliment the light colours and make the shape stand out! My mum loves it!

I love you mum!

Irina xx

Letter Shaped Cushions

I have been busy sewing letter shaped cushions for gifts. No special reason, just thought they would make a lovely present. I first saw one last year and ever since I wondered how to sew a letter, inside out, which had a whole in the middle – like A or D or P. For some reason I can’t really imagine things and it took me ages to try and picture in my head how I could possibly attempt to make the letter A. Well two A’s, one S, one J and a half-done D, I think I sussed it. Each one looks better than the previous one so there is a lot of truth in the saying “learning through experience”. 

I did my first letter without piping and stitched the light fabrics using brown thread as I wanted to see what will go wrong – it wouldn’t have been so visible with white thread. It wasn’t too bad, although sewing the little whole in the middle was harder than I thought.

My second letter was S, and I personally think it was harder than the A. At least the A has some straight sides, compared to the S which wiggles and curves in different directions. In fact the first time I stitched everything together, the front and the back did not really align properly, so I had to do it again ( boy, how I hate unpicking). For the piping I used bias tape which was not cut on the bias and that was not perfect.

Rule: all bias tape should be cut on the bias, that is why it is called bias tape, isn't it?

The J was also a bit tricky, and what I’ve noticed is that the letter curves slightly to the front. I believe this is due to the piping, which pulls the fabric a bit. I decided to make some blue bias tape, actually cut on the bias, for the piping and I am pleased to say that it worked lovely. The piping just followed around the curves  during sewing and the letter looks much better.

I heard that such cushions could be made using a guset, but I don't even have an idea what guset is let alone how to use it! Any idea anybody?

I also found a great tutorial of how to make meters and meters of continuous bias tape – it is actually very clever and really handy if you need to make lots of fabric strips.

So I know there are lots of online tutorials but here is how I do it. I used 50cm x 50cm square which made just over 5m of bias tape.

Fold one corner of the fabric to create a square. Off course I forgot to take a photo of this. Iron along the fold to create a line. Use this line to cut the square in half, creating two identical triangles. Place the pieces one on top of the other and stitch together.

Press the seams open. It should look something like this.

Using a ruler, make long lines along the fabric. Be as precise as possible, as these lines will guide you when cutting the bias tape.

When you are finished drawing the lines, fold you fabric so that the lines meet each other. This is the tricky part – make sure you first line from one side meets the second line from the other side. I know it sounds confusing, just try it.

Pin together and machine stitch. It is very important to press the seams open, before cutting. Once you are ready start cutting from that first line which is on its own.

When finished trim your bias tape and roll together. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Happy sewing!

Love,

Irina xx

My first ever cushions

These were the first two cushions I ever made. The blue one was a present for a little boy the pink one I still have and I will probably end up keeping for my self ....just as a keepsake.

Don't get bored...more cushions to come...

Enjoy,

Irina

Cushions in the making

I have been busy making cushions. One is for a lovely little girl who will be starting school in August. It is such an exciting time, a big milestone and I remember how thrilling it was to have my own school bag with my notebooks and pens and pencils…it felt quite special.

The other two cushions have felt letters stitched to the front using blanket stitch. I will probably make some to sell but since my husband liked the idea so much I will keep these two – one on the sofa and one on the bed.

I really like the fabric that I used for the cushions – 100% cotton in dark beige with cream stripes. I will have to go back to Battersea and a lovely fabric shop called Fabrics Galore - I recommend it to any sewing fan visiting London.

Love,
Irina

Name cushion

I made a little name cushion for a very special little girl called Zoe who turned two last week. The cushion is made from 100% cotton gingham and has her name appliquéd on the front. There is also a little house and of course one of my all times favourite features - colourful bunting. I love bunting!!! It has magical charm to it and it always reminds me of long summer days, dolly tea parties, scones and strawberries and the smell of fresh garden flowers!

The cushion took five hours to make and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make the Oxford border…really easy…now I am going to make lots more cushions with Oxford borders as they look so pretty. Oh, and another thing I love ( in case you haven't guessed it yet) - I love gingham...pink gingham, blue gingham, purple, brown, yellow, any colour really. It is so charming and totally adorable.