By Susie Haigh,
Textile Accessory Designer, podnip
and Instructor at The Stitchery
Hello to you all on this blustery Friday. My cushions are all sewn up and here they are getting cosy in my flat!
I’m especially pleased with my appliqué cushion; I love triangles and I love shades of blue and green, so this is combo is making me happy! And the duck cushion is very much at home on the aubergine window seat in my kitchen. My intention was to give the triangle cushion to someone for Christmas…..but I’m struggling with the thought of giving it away! I might have to make another.
I hope you all enjoyed making your own cushions and feel super-duper pleased with your work. We would be very pleased to see pictures of your fine creations and remember that we have a lovely bag of sewing goodies for the winner.
To enter the competition please make sure you have emailed images of your finished work to sewalongs@thestitcherystudio.com by noon on Monday 17th Decemeber.
As I finished my project I was thinking about the first time I ever attempted to make cushion covers. Would you believe I still have them sitting in my bedroom? These floral cushions were one of the first things I made when I got my own sewing machine. I had sewn bits and pieces on my mum’s old singer when I was growing up, but in my 20s a friend gave me a sewing machine she didn’t need, and I made these envelope back cushion covers. I can remember the absolute joy of figuring out how to make them and then putting the cushion pads inside - and they still sit on a chair in my bedroom nearly 20 years later. Well, to be honest there is normal a massive pile of my clothes draped over the top, which I removed especially to take this photo, so I hope you're all suitably impressed!
We teach beginners how to make this same style of cushion on our Introduction to Sewing workshop and I see the same lightbulb moment again and again when students finish sewing. I guarantee that the first thing most students do with their new cushion is to hug it. It’s true! I see it every time. It’s a kind of therapy.
My love of sewing is wrapped up in that moment and still is. Even now, many hours on the sewing machine later, I still get that moment of delicious delight when I finish a handmade project, or perfect a new technique. It’s the moment when you get to go ‘ta da!’ and what was random shaped bits of bunched up, inside out fabric, magically resolve into a lined makeup bag or the button placket on a shirt or a box pleat. Intense satisfiction . Are you with me on this? Which bits of sewing do you love?
And on that note, it is time to draw our sewing love fest to an end dear readers and wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope you are enjoying hugging your new cushions and busy planning a few more.
Our cushion sewalong winner will be announced on Wednesday 17th December.
Good luck!