Yarn Along

I am so pleased with how these cushions turned out. One each for the children for Easter. They came together entirely with materials from the the stash (which of course makes them feel free). I made the cushion inserts from a heavy white cotton and stuffed it with a spare cushion that has been sitting in a cupboard without a cover. Cohen wandered in to my studio as I was stuffing the poly fill in to the cotton covers. 'Clouds!' he exclaimed and threw little tufts of poly fill up in to the air. 

Thank goodness for children's books with large fonts. I began reading Little House in the Big Woods for Cohen. When he lost interest I kept reading it myself. I was a fan of Little House on the Prairie as a child, and re-visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder as an adult brings with it new perspective and inspiration. The book is so simply written, but has a charm and romance all of it's own. I'm dreaming now of a log cabin and a sugar snow.

 What are you knitting and reading?

-

Joining in with Ginny.

Raverly notes here.

-

Don't forget to enter the Berlin Roses Giveaway.

+

Cohen and I spent a lovely slow afternoon together wandering around our three favourite op-shops yesterday, searching for useful items for the house or baby. While I pushed the pram, Cohen played with his toy crane and chatted away and we both scanned the aisles. We came home with an small embroidered pillow slip, a hand knit cardigan, a Meakin jug that matches a bowl I own already, an old handmade cushion and some crochet and knitting booklets, the oldest dating from 1937. 

And just in case you were wondering about the blue cardigan, we actually aren't finding out the sex of the baby. I just find it difficult not to buy things like this sweet cardigan for $1. I am hedging my bets evenly by buying a few boy things and a few girl things when I see them. Given that family and friends are having or planning to have babies, I figure that none of these darling little clothes will go unloved.

+

Cohen and I have a cold and are feeling fairly miserable. I want nothing more than to snuggle beneath the blankets until the worst is over. But exciting things are in the works, so bed rest is sadly not an option today. Will let you in on the secret soon.

In the meantime, here are some things that are cheering me up.

snow pea seedlings flowering

garden companions

cushion swap's received

mismatched cutlery

thrifted abacus, 

What's making you smile today?

+

One less item in the knitting basket, yet again.

I'm quite pleased with the cushion I made for the swap. The many twisting cables. The softly variegated wool. The vintage buttons.

Yes, quite pleased indeed. I only hope my swap partner agrees.

-

Ravelry.

+

One less item in the knitting basket. 

A simple project. Quiet nights spent knitting. Pinning and blocking during nap time. A handmade cushion insert for a perfect fit. Mattress ticking fabric and wooden buttons. A child as occupied playing with his barn and tractors, as his mother was with cutting and stitching.

And yet, I keep looking at it, hardly believing that I made it. It's just a cushion. Though it seems to symbolize just how much I've learnt since my crafting journey began in earnest whilst pregnant with Cohen.

Do you ever get that feeling?

-

Ravelry.

+

I find new cushions are most satisfying and thrifty things to sew. 

Four cushion inserts at $3.50 each. 1.5 meters fabric, on sale for $8/m. A reel of cotton. A packet of buttons. A few hours. And four new cushions for around $32.

And a happy, if sniffley, sewer. 

+

An old embroidered cushion cover, once belonging to my Grandmother. Found amongst my vintage doilies while I was looking for something else. A happy surprise.
Filled with hobby fill and now the perfect cushion for snuggling into, while reading in bed, on another rainy day.

I made this...

Some photo's of the new cushions I made, as promised. I still didn't seem to be able to get a decent photo of them, but these will give you a rough idea.

(I'm afraid everything is quite brown in this photo - lounge, table, cabinet - and I have previously decided to brighten things up and possibly paint our old coffee table white and get some colour on those walls. It doesn't look quite as bad in real life, well nearly as bad! I don't think Design Sponge will be asking for more photos. Maybe one day...)

I love this fabric and the 50's feel of the colours. I made simple cushion covers that close with buttons to make it easy to remove and wash them when necessary.

And, they are very comfortable.