My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Thursday, June 1, 2017

A small quilt or a large cushion? (and more)

At what stage does a cushion become too big to be a cushion and really should be made into a small quilt? That's what I was thinking as I was putting the finishing stitches into this......
It was an(other) 11th hour finish for me....my goal for May was to finish this cushion I'd started several years ago...at the start of the month it was in several pieces, waiting for attention,
My 3-D cushion needing some love.
More about it *here*.
There were some small blocks to go around the above centre block —
And that was about it. A concentrated sewing effort has seen it become this —
Wall hanging?
Or cushion?
The original design didn't have the outer border but I decided I wanted one, it means as the cushion curves, the outer blocks don't disappear off the edge! But it also meant that the cushion grew a little - it finishes at 24" square :-) That's where my dilemma as to whether it was cushion or quilt came from! (However they do make cushion inners this size so I guess I'm legal!).
You can see why it's called a 3-D cushion —
And to finish the 3-D effect, I did some trapunto in the blank areas. This is easily done by putting a bit of batting behind the area, sewing the outline of your design in washaway thread and trimming the excess batting before doing the normal quilt sandwich/layering process. Naturally, you re-sew over the washaway thread with standard thread. (Note to self, next time remember that you have used washaway thread and don't try to spray your outline lines away too early!)
This is all quilted in Aurifil #50 weight - it's becoming a firm favourite quilting thread of mine.
I'm linking up to Patty D of Elm Street quilts for One Monthly Goal and Joy from Days filled with Joy for Finishing Stitches. Thank you ladies for the little push I needed to complete this UFO.

Over the weekend I made a few more scrappy sprouts blocks...I'd made some green ones for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge earlier in the month but they were all quite dark and I wanted some lighter ones too.

Deciding that was enough green scrappy sprouts, I put the sprout box away.... but then after working on another project (which I cant share much of just now), I had these delicious, perfectly sized triangles left over....

So one more sprout appeared! Scrap sewing is very addictive!!!! [Linking up to soscrappy, thank you Angela :-)]

In my last post, I was just getting ready to hop over to Australia to visit my son and his family... I had a fabulous time...the wee girls are nearly two now; they've grown and developed so much since I last saw them.
The Buzzy Bee toys got a good work out while I was there; they make a great noise being pulled around behind the bikes. (All good kiwi kids need a Buzzy Bee, even if they live in Australia!) (They have a traditional red one too, it doesn't show in the photos).
Ahh, precious times ♥
Whoops the best 'family photo' we got!
Before I got to my son's though I braved the train system and visited my gorgeous friend Michelle of Rag-Tag Stitching....... I spent a lovely time chatting with her, and it was also lovely to see her quilts and artwork up close, after admiring so many of them on her blog. Thank you for your hospitality Michelle :-)
I've had a little time away from blogland, with one thing and another...I'm hoping for a quieter weekend now and some lovely catch up reading ♥
'til next time,
happy stitches,

27 comments:

  1. I bet it was so nice to see the little girls again! cute. I made those 3D flying geese sometime back for a little wall hanging and love them - cute pattern you have there

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the cushion Raewyn, always like a big squishy cushion and you are right, having the border means you can see the beautiful blocks. It must have been lovely to spend time with the girls, I can't believe they are nearly two!!!! Good to see they have buzzy bees, my boys had them too. Great green blocks, love the trees...good to see you back in blogland...and how wonderful to spend time with Michelle.

    ReplyDelete
  3. how lovely to see the twins I bet they get up to mischief they are delightful. Yes a cushion gets my vote the twins will love sitting on it on the floor when they visit hope they will be coming to see you soon.Wondering what the colour for june will be your green blocks looks good I only make one a momnth!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your 3-D piece makes a lovely cushion, if you have a place to display it (smart idea to put the border around it so the blocks don't disappear). If not, a wall quilt works. : )
    I have some brighter greens set aside to come your way for your sprouts blocks. I hope they aren't too bright.
    Looks like such good family times. What cutie pies!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love big cushions! And yes it's great that you can see all the blocks with the border, I just feel disappointed when the cushion curves around the end he and some of the design is lost. Your grands are too cute x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like you had a lovely time with the twins! Oh your cushion is a beauty, love the quilting designs. Aurifil thread is my choice for stitching and quilting, just ordered three more spools.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lots happening for you Raewyn. Your girls are growing ever so fast......soon they will be making quilts! fabulous 3D cushion/wallhanging. Excellent quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I vote cushion. It looks beautiful, as do the girls. xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Welcome home, those little girls are just adorable. I have a couple of 24" pillows, so nice and large for supporting my back when hand quilting.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The cushion is just lovely! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your 3 D project is simply gorgeous! Love it! I feel such a slacker with my 1 block a month for RSC lol! Yours are great! I cannot get over how your sweet girls have grown...such little people now.I loved seeing you...wonderful! Hugs xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. So nice to see your sweet girls. They are growing so quickly.
    Love your cushion.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love your cushion, and aren’t those babies precious! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the cushion. The 3D effect is stunning. Kiddos are cute as buttons.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like the idea of a large cushion. So nice and comfy! Your granddaughters are beautiful! What a lovely trip you had! So nice for you!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Goodness, the girls are growing fast! Love your 3D cushion!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the way the cushion turned out. It's quite beautiful. The 3D elements make it a real keepsake. Glad I decided to check my blog feed today.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love your small wall hanging/large cushion!!! Well done you on doing some finishing.
    Also the girls are gorgeous and what a great idea to tie the buzzy bee on behind the trike will have to try that! Hugs xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  19. It is lovely to see you getting over to your family as often as you can. Nothing beats that real time together. The grandies are growing quickly and looking wonderful.
    How lovely to spend time with Michelle as well.
    Great wok with your green scraps. That pile of sprouts must be growing.
    Love the work you have done on the cushion. Adding the border has created a lot of interest. I don't think it is too big at all.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your cushion is amazing, so much work in it. We do have extra large cushions this size at our place, the kids love them on their futon couch now, but also those fold out kids couches as toddlers. And when they were small they ended up in the play tent, in the cubby houses they built and piled on the bed along with all their quilts and soft toys! Your cushion is too good for that....but those gorgeous little girls might like one!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I LOVE the cushion. The dimensional piecing is so delightful and your quilting is beautiful.

    It looks like you had such a nice visit with the children. They grow up much too quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love your cushion! All the lovely bits makes it wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  23. As always, Raewyn, your post is a delightful read. I think you should make that beautiful piece into a cushion! It's just lovely and your quilting puts the perfect finish to it! Your girls are two, already? My favorite age! And they are oh, so cute! Glad you've been getting out and about. I can't imagine what a good time you must have had visiting Michelle! Pictures in posts are always pretty, but nothing can compare to seeing someone's work in person, especially someone as talented and skilled as Michelle!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks for sharing your family trip and those adorable girls! It sounds like a wonderful time with a friend and family. I really like your cushion, and think one needs all sizes of them. It worked well as a wallhanging, too, though, and if you get tired of the cushion, no doubt you can hang it on the wall without the insides. =) Those sprouts and trees are wonderful green blocks. I know that will all be wonderful somethings.

    ReplyDelete
  25. We had our buzzy bee attached to the push bike also (many moons ago), as this helped to loosen up the clicker... and made it much more easier to pull along, and make even more noise! Great sewing once again... lots of little projects getting bigger and bigger!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I cannot believe your twins are two, it only seems the other day they were born. OMG they are so cute, I bet you had the very best time with them.

    ReplyDelete
  27. it looks great....think I would make it a mini quilt but we have some pretty big cushions ere...........the girls are growing and glad you had a nise time with Michelle too........

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate them all and try my best to reply. Have a great day!!
(If you are a no-reply or anonymous blogger and would like a response, please leave an email address.)