Camping Cushions

I did a LOT of camping when I was younger, and I always had separate camping stuff, different towel, pjs, slippers, toothbrush, sleeping bag , blankets and pillows.

Which is why I made these cushions for my niece and nephew as a Christmas present. I don't know if they'll use them for camping but either way they are pretty cute.

I used a really simple patchwork square design, but I was sooooooo careful choosing my fabrics to make sure they were cohesive.

This is my nieces cushion, I went for really floral pretty fabrics and based my colour choices on the backing fabric I had already chosen.

This owl fabric is by the craft cotton company and its lush! This is the pink colour-way but each of the colour ways are really different and give a different vibe. I also added her initial on the back for a more personal touch. 

My nephews cushion was a bit harder he's becoming quite the young man now so I didn't want to pick fabrics that would translate as babyish in a few months. I kept it pretty simple using polka dots and ginghams in the hopes it would look okay. And I added a slate grey border to make it a bit manly if that makes sense. I actually had different fabrics picked but them I saw some Paul Smith shirts on pinterest which looked fun but grown up at the same time so I used them as my inspiration instead. 

I like that the spots are all different sizes.

I did back it in the owl fabric as well but in a dark blue colour way, I think the darker colour makes it seem more grown up and boyish.

Here they are together, I think they look really cute as a set, maybe I should have made one each for their mum and dad as well? Then they could take one of those over smiley pictures like you always in in camping advertisements. You know the ones where every single family member looks happy and refreshed and like there having the best time ever!!! Not like they've been sat in the car for three hours with bickering kids and full bladders.

And here's the fronts looking kinda matchy but individual as well.

One part of their gift down at least!

Much Love

Frankie 

xxx

P.S luckily for me I don't think they read my blog so I can post these before Christmas!!

Finished baby blanket

This project has been on the go for a little while now, I had to put it away for a few days last month, because it went a touch wrong and I ended up unpicking for about three hours.

But this week I decided enough was enough , popped a film on (Marie Antoinette) and cracked on! Mainly I had to pin baste the entire thing! I was going to get a can of basting spray but I was unsure if the fumes would be suitable for a little one? so I in basted, with actual pins, not safety pins, real pins the kind that like to pop out and surprise you! Yeah I would not recommend this method! and for my next quilt I'll be using safety pins for sure! Then i simply quilted it and added binding (that I made myself! insert smug face here!)

A finished baby blanket! The recipients mummy is a fan of Cath Kidston so I went for a country cottage sort of vibe!. I cut each of the squares to about 4 inches and used the edge of my machine foot as the seam allowance, because I'm a rebel without a cause and stuff! And the finished blanket size is...... oops I forgot to measure! Like a metre? It's baby blanket sized! (Oddly enough babies Daddy is not a fan of Cath Kidston as far as I can tell, so I want it on the record your honor that if baby was a boy, the blanket was going to have a cars and rugby theme)

The fabrics are a mixture from my stash, but include some from hobbycraft, a few squares of vintage Laura Ashley, some 1940s vintage florals and some solids I had lying around!

Not pictured: my neighbours trying to work out why I was outside taking pictures of what they assumed to be my washing! Poor lambs, I think they think I've lost the plot for sure this time!

I quilted it along each of the squares and then on a diagonal, its still got a puffy cosy feel. I quilted it like this after Mr Knitwit commented that his blanket which is quite densly quilted is not as snuggly as it could be! Hence why this one is a little easier on the quilting. (I also think Mr Knitwits might have something to do with the thickness of the fabric that was used!

You can see the quilting more easily for the back, I had to piece the back from some super soft pink flannel and some spare blocks, the blocks in the middle ended up slightly wonky but I only realised after I'd quilted the whole dammed thing! Quilting wise I just did it all by eye and I'm pretty pleased with the results!

There's a few puckers here and there put nothing that was going to convince me to get out my unpicker again! On a side note its super hard to get decent pictures of quilts! It was flapping around on my washing line like mad!

Monogrammed, sewn by hand and ready to whip off in case the babies name does change!

It's a nice mixture of prints (should be anyway I spent three hours sat on my living room carpet choosing them!) I went for blues, pinks, purples and greens to give it a really light summery vibe. (seriously hoping that the mummy hasn't now decided she's into leopard print or monochrome!)

I stitched the back of the binding on by machine and then hand stitched the front! which I never thought I'd do, whenever I read about quilters hand sewing the front of the binding I was like "THAT'S WHAT THE MACHINES FOR YOU FOOLS!" however I found it very therapeutic and it gave a really nice finish!

I know a lot of people prefer to use grow bags at night now for babies, but I thought I'd make a quilt anyway because then it can be used for tummy time! I had a few blankets that I used to spread out under little Knitwit whilst he slept or played. I just found them really useful to have around! especially if there were crumbs on the carpet! No momma wants to wake a sleeping baby to hoover!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx