Thursday 24 April 2014

FAL and ALYOF finish!

Yep, that's right, not only have I finished my April goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes, I've also finished my first goal for 2014 FAL (2014 Finish Along), you can see my original, goal-setting post here.  I was #98 in the ALYOF link up.



Finish Along 2014My Button





And what is this finish?  It's the chair cushions for my dining room that I started about 2 years ago.  I made one patchwork panel which I've since lost.  It was time to start again as I'm sick of eating my dinner with my hands above my head (slight exaggeration, but they table is too high for the chairs, all second-hand).  I wanted to take some in-situ shots, but due to the privacy film on the windows, I couldn't get a decent shot.  So out to the garden we went, me and my chair.



Ta-dah!  Filled with a 2" thick foam pad which is only slightly too big for the chair (ahem!), the cushions tie onto the back rungs to keep them in place.



If I'm feeling particularly short, I can pile them all up together, and maybe put a pea underneath.  Would I feel a pea with my fat arse? No chance, I probably wouldn't feel a vegetable garden, even without the cushions.



The photo shoot caused some curiosity...



"Tiff, Tiff, what's going on Tiff?  Mum seems to have a chair and she's taking pictures of it.  Does this mean we've got to go to the vet?"


"I don't know Harry, but I'm very, very suspicious.  No, I don't like this at all..."


This was the final panel to be pieced, started and finished at the EMMQG meeting earlier this month.  I used the random HSTs left over from the other cushions.  I put the border on to make it up to size, unfortunately it got cut off later.  Why unfortunately?  Because I mitred it!  Yep, Y-seams!  You know what, they're not hard at all!

Each panel was made to 18" x 18", layered on 2 layers of fusible fleece, then quilted with random blue threads I had bits left of.  Due to the broken darning foot, all are straight line quilted.


See?  I quilted 3 of them at the meeting, and it wasn't until I started to make them up into the cushions that I realised I'd made the panels too big!  Oh dear.


I'm sure no-one will notice the cut off blocks!


I think I showed you these flying geese before?  They were quilted with a continuous square spiral.


This one doesn't look so bad with the corners missing, but I wish I hadn't put all that brown in the middle.


My favourite was these friendship stars.  I want to make a quilt out of these blocks, I love them.  



I was at a bit of a loss on how to quilt them, Mary suggested orange peel/dogwood, which I didn't realise I could do with a walking foot.  I love this quilt design!  I will be using this again.


Alas, the friendship stars did not survive the cutting process.  I'm a bit mad about this one.



And last, but not least, we have the Plus blocks, another possibility for a future quilt.  I don't seem to have taken a quilting shot of this.  I echo quilted the centre cross all the way out to the edges.



I made the construction up as I went along.  It all happened on Good Friday.  Mr CA was ill in bed and I have just discovered 24 (yes, I have been hiding under a rock), it's on Netflix and I'm hooked.  I worked all day on these, stopping only to take Mr CA cups of tea.



Not the most polished construction ever... do I care?  Not a jot!



They are all backed with this print from Lily and Will.  It seems I bought about 253 metres of this print as I've still got loads left!  It's making me think place mats... I also have a good yard or so of a blue with brown spot, I think I intended to add piping to these, that is also untouched.

So, one goal from 5 of the FAL is done, 2 others are well on their way, it may just be a successful quarter!

23 comments:

gilly said...

Well done for ticking this off your list - your cushions are fab, and I love those wee bunnies too!
Xx

pennydog said...

Oh well done, I'm particularly impressed that they;'re removable covers- I sewed mine in and also I placed the ties in completely the wrong place for my chairs :S

Pam @Threading My Way said...

I really love the fact that each cushion cover is different, Wendy and the browns and blues together are perfect.

creations.1 said...

Your cushions look great - we too have a table that is too high to eat off comfortably - maybe I will make some cushions too!!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Well done on finishing! I had to laugh about the vegetable garden!! :) They look really comfy and that's a fun way to try different blocks. You're the second person to mention 24 today, I haven't seen it either... *crawls back under rock*!!

Sandra :) said...

The cushions are great - love the designs and the fabrics and the quilting :) If you have 253 meters of that sweet backing fabric, then I expect to see curtains made ... for the entire neighbourhood, LOL!! ;)

Alison said...

These look great and your bunnies are so cute!

Sarah in Stitches said...

So great! I love the color combinations. Congrats on the cushions :D

Kerryp77 said...

lovely colour combo and a great finish too. your bunnies are adorable!

Fiona said...

I love your cushions.... I did some for me a few years ago... only patchworke the top as I hadn't done any quilting....
One tip... which you may or may not like to ignore... I got some of that 'antislip' plastic stuff (we get it in the cheap stores... use for shelving etc) and put a piece under each cushion so they don't slip on the timber seat and pressure on those ties.... it has worked so well for me....
Hugz

Joy said...

Some lovely quilting going on here Wendy, and I do like your new cushions - as well as your sense of humour, thanks for the laughs! And you have talking bunnies so, as well as being very cute, they are also entertaining! Have a wonderful weekend!
Joy xo

JoJo said...

They look great! I used to like 24; I watched the first 2 seasons. It was too intense for me so I stopped.

Jo Ferguson said...

Congrats on your finishes! I absolutely love your fabric, colour and design choices. They'd be a wonderful addition to any home and a cozy place to put your behind. They look like they might be soft and comfy enough for hours of stitching. Tiff and Harry are adorable. I've had a few dwarf bunnies in my life and I still miss their twitchy noses.

Anita said...

Great color combination on your chair cushions!

margaret said...

you have made some good cushion here, I have the same chairs, could do with some cushions too

Jane said...

Well done, they look fabulous, love the colours

Vera said...

You are so funny. I had to smile all the way while reading :) Congrats on your finish! Well done!

Rachel said...

I took my chairs outside to be photographed too - it's much easier to get a decent shot of furniture outsides, somehow. Fortunately I didn't alarm any livestock, unless you count my husband giving me a quizzical look...!

Pops De Milk said...

Your sewing is so neat and impressive, also congrats on finishing!

Josie said...

One of my favourite colour schemes is brown and blue and your covers look fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I love them! What a relief that you no longer have to eat with your hands over your head ;-) It's so much fun that each one is different!

heart of charnwood said...

Well done on the finishing! :o)

Jasmine said...

Congrats on the finish. I think your blocks look great made into the cushions. Beautiful colors.