Ethan gets a gumdrop

You may remember the gumdrop cushions I made a few years ago - they are from an Amy Butler pattern.  I did one for Oliver and Lucy, also one each for my neice and nephew.  There was also one for our Nonna Julies grandson Noah see here and my friend Yvette had me make one for her nephew Zac - see post here.

They are a great gift, my kids have had theirs for a few years now and they still use them today.  We also have one in our TV room that has matching cushions. So I had a recent order to do one with a matching square cushion for Nonna Julies second grandson Ethan, pictured above, and they are finished and awaiting delivery to their new owner.  - So that's another thing crossed off my to do list - Goody Goody Gumdrops  !!!
 

From Pillow to Post

 

There is nothing like a hand made gift.  I don't often receive them but I do give them on a fairly regular basis.  My daughter Lucy had a little friend who was having a birthday -Talia - it was her 8th birthday and she is horse crazy.  I was horse crazy too at her age and eventually got my very own horse when I was 11.  

So - what to give her for her birthday.  Obviously something to do with horses would be good.  So  I figured a pillow for her bed made with horse fabric would be pretty good.  So here it is.  I quilted the love heart - I used denim for the front panel embellished with the loveheart and  then a mixture of denim, the horsey fleece and a vintage pink chenille for the back.  I also embroidered her name on the front and I think it turned out kind of sweet.   I would have loved it for my 8th birthday !

I'm back - with a little stitchin"

It's been a while.  A long time between posts.  I still read my favourite blogs most days, but working and family life make it hard to find time to blog.  However, I wanted to share some pics of my most recent project.   My neighbours son is having a birthday on Monday.  He will be turning 9.  He is a master creator, an engineer in the making.   He loves to make things from cardboard boxes, you know, cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes and the like.  A few months ago he created a little dog like creature.  He drew it onto some A4 paper and filled it in with little squares of paper (bottom photo).  I thought it was so cute.  So I secretly got his Dad to photocopy it for me and I stashed it away in my sewing room with a plan to one day create something for him using his own design.  So that has now come to fruition.  I have turned his paper creation into an embroidery and mounted it on a canvas to give him as a wall hanging for his bedroom.  I am excited.  I love giving handmade gifts.  I love that he makes stuff.  And he is always interested in the things I make and shows a lot of appreciation for hand made stuff. So I hope he loves it as much as I do. 

Sewn, Stapled and Delivered

Mums Birthday gift

I have sewn a canvas for my Mum for her birthday in February. It is a copy of another one of Lucys recent drawings. I am enjoying doing these, using a transfer pencil and copying the kids drawings to embroider. Mum was here for Christmas so I got busy and did this for her to take home to save posting it. Never in my life have I been this organised in advance for a birthday gift. She is so excited she can't wait to get home and hang it on her wall. I should make her wait until February - but of course that won't happen. Happy Birthday Mum xx

My version of the Amy Butler Gumdrop Cushion

This was a custom order for our friend Julie - a gift for her two year old grandsons birthday. These turned out fantastic, with the beautiful combination of colours and textures in the fabrics she chose. The personalised embroidery finished them off just perfectly. The aqua stitching was just beautiful with the vintage chenille panels. Wow !

I did quite a few Amy Butler gumdrop cushions as christmas gifts for my children and niece and nephew.

This is one of my favourite cushions - I purchased a piece from an old Japanese Silk Kimono on Ebay last year some time. Recently I sewed it up into a cute rectangular cushion for our bed. The back of it is made from an old piece of damask type fabric I sourced from the local op shop.