Tuesday 10 December 2013

Cushion for Christmas

Have you been following along with the Cushion for Christmas Blog Hop organised by Melissa from Ms Midge?  The cushions are very inspiring - I'm loving how there is a real mix of different things on offer!

Ms Midge

Here is the schedule - feel free to backtrack and check out the cushions that have already been blogged, and make sure you check out the ones that are yet to come as well!

Sunday 1st December - Melissa at Ms Midge
Monday 2nd December - Gemma at Pretty Bobbins & Melissa at Ms Midge
Tuesday 3rd December - Kristy at Quiet Play
Wednesday 4th December - Joshua at Molli Sparkles
Thursday 5th December - Rachel at Little White Dove
Friday 6th December - Fiona at Finding Fifth
Saturday 7th December - Abby at Things For Boys
Sunday 8th December - Lauren at Molly & Mama Makes
Monday 9th December - Jodi at Tickle & Hide
Tuesday 10th December - Adrianne at On The Windy Side & Melissa at Ms Midge
Wednesday 11th December - Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts
Thursday 12th December - Gina at Party of Eight
Friday 13th December - Jane at Quilt Jane
Saturday 14th December - Round up of Blog Hop and link up YOUR projects at Ms Midge

Today is my day on the hop, and this is my creation!  I went pretty literal and put together a Christmas cushion using my favourite festive fabric - Aneela Hoey's Cherry Christmas.  Now, I have to confess that I made this cushion over the course of a couple of days, but it would be totally achievable to make it in a single day.

Cherry Christmas Wreath Cushion 

The double pointed dresden is very festive to me - it could be a wreath, but it also has hints of a star about it as well.  I made it using my dresden ruler and the method set out in this excellent tutorial by Melissa from Happy Quilting.  If you would like to make your own version of this cushion, the white central square is 16" finished, and I cut the dresden wedges from a 4" wide strip of fabric, lining up the 2" and 6" marks on my dresden ruler with the cut edges.  The border is made from 2.5" cut strips, leaving you with a cushion that finishes at 20.5" square.

Cherry Christmas Wreath Cushion 

I think the pebble quilting looks a bit like snow - and quilting densely like this in the background really makes the dresden stand out!  I used my favourite Aurifil 2021 in 50 weight, and I'm so impressed with how far this thread goes.  Pebble quilting uses a notoriously large amount of thread and this barely made a dent in my 1300m spool! 

Pom pom trim is such an easy way to add a bit of fun to your cushion - I essentially used this method by Angela from Fussy Cut.

Cherry Christmas Wreath Cushion

You may recognise the back - it's the one from my covered zipper cushion back tutorial a couple of weeks ago!  I'm very happy it's now being put to good use.

I hope you're enjoying this blog hop and that you're getting inspired to make your own cushion for Christmas.  Now, I'll leave you with a question.  Making this cushion has rekindled my love of pom poms, and I'm now thinking about adding some pom pom trip to a quilt.  It would be quite easy to baste them along the edge of the quilt and then hide the tape under the binding - and I think the effect would be really cute.  The one thing I'm worried about is whether they would survive washing - has anyone tried this before?

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

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24 comments:

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Gorgeous! I love dresdens but have yet to try making one. I totally thought the quilting looks like snow, very cool!

DeborahGun said...

really lovely. I managed to pick up four fat quarters of cherry christmas but still waiting it to arrive - and then I am going to make a christmas cushion for me!! Thanks again for the awesome cushion back tutorial - I loved it :-)

Susan said...

I'd love to make this as a mini and hang it in place of a wreath! Do you think I need the Dresden ruler to make it?

MsMidge said...

I have cushion crush! Love it! And I totally think pom pom trim could work on a quilt! I have no idea about the washing side of things though lol. Thanks so much for joining in! xx

Kirsten said...

Gorgeous cushion - really love the pebbly quilting too!

Erin @ Once Upon a Donkey said...

Beautiful! Love the double dresden, the pebbling and that awesome white pom pom trim. It is all perfectly festive.

Deb said...

Such a lovely cushion. Do you get your Aurifil spools in NZ or from the US?

Salley said...

I love this cute cushion... very xmassy!
Depends on what quality pom poms you use...all cotton from India might end up daggy, lovely French or egyptian cotton from Decorator Businesses would need hand washing, and nasty polyester/mix from Lincraft could probably take quite a beating! Buy half a meter of what you like and road test it.

Jill said...

Very neat! Love the blue fabric.

Quilting Dee said...

I'm a new follower and new to blogging. Love your Xmas cushion. Very effective with the pebble quilting!
Dee

Anonymous said...

This is so adorable. I really like the tassels ball trim!

AmandaK@whatthebobbin said...

What a gorgeous pillow!

Vera said...

It is absolutely beautiful!

ChristaQuilts said...

Wow! What a fabulous pillow and the quilting totally makes it!

Leonie said...

Wow it's stunning!!

Lyndy at Stitchbird said...

Love the cushion. I am not sure how well pom pom trim would go in the wash. I would be worried that it would go all bedraggled in the wash - or worse still if you had a coloured one that the colours would run. I would try it through the wash a few times before I popped it on a quilt.

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Lovely xxx

Kelsey said...

Oh so pretty :) I love how classic it is while still being very unique at the same time. The pebbling looks like little snow balls too! So cute!

Kristy @ Quiet Play said...

Super sweet cushion and your quilting is fabulous!!

Michelle@factotum-of-arts.com said...

I love the cushion + the quilt in the background there :-)

Pinspot said...

Oh, I love the pebble quilting! Perfect winter cushion!

thingsforboys said...

Such a lovely cushion! The pebble quilting is lovely and I love the pom pom trim addition.

Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts said...

I LOVE pebbling! Love that it looks like snow when put into the Christmas context :)

Melissa Corry said...

This is so adorable!! I love how you did the same fabric in your DD. So cute!!! And the quilting is just perfect!! I love doing pebbling for snowballs, such a great effect. Thanks so much for sharing the link :)