lovely cushions

It's amazing what you can make from an old dog blanket and a few scraps of ribbon!

I've been meaning to make a present for a friend for a while and ever since our visit to the Studio Seven exhibition last week I've been itching to get creative. However I'm not fortunate enough to have dedicated space for anything in our house. So first I had to clear my desk of all the paperwork that has piled up. That done (a couple of days of much needed admin!) and I was able to get the sewing machine out. And of course once you get going it doesn't take as long as you think, even with a baby on your lap and a little girl by your side demanding princess dresses.

Sarah has been back to the exhibition and taken some photos to share with us all, and you will see that it is a very calming installation. Everything is natural, there is a lot of calico, the room is airy, and old patterns are used, hence the name Cut 2 On Fold. It was the simple colours that inspired me to make this cushion, I don't think you can see in the pictures that I hand stitched a line of silver military thread (from Baileys Home and Garden) in between each strip of ribbon, just to add a very subtle touch of glamour! Then the use of old pattern paper and an old Vogue dress pattern, machine stiched to make a card, is also directly influenced by the show.

You may be beginning to realise that I really like these people, so you wont be surprised to hear that my little girl and I, and Sarah and her little girl are going to a workshop they are holding, to make beautiful textile dolls that will then become part of the installation until the end of the Textile Festival.

I'm so excited!