Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have heard me mention a 'secret' project I was working on. That perhaps might have made it sound a little more exciting than it was - it was merely a secret as it was a wedding present. Mainly it was an act of self control not post a photographic step by step on Instagram. (Ok ok, I did do that last weekend - but the wedding had been the week before, so I would hope any chance of ruining the surprise had already past!)

Generally, I'm pretty awful when it comes to wedding lists. I don't really like to be told what I should buy, especially if I like the people involved which I would wager you normally do, if you're invited to their wedding. I had been thinking about what to get Lizzie and Danny for some time; the ideas ranging from an OCD Chopping Board and gingham knife to personalised pencils imprinted with Lizzie Loves Danny and Danny Loves Lizzie (it would have been cool. And not at all cheesy. Not at all... Lizzie's would have been yellow and Dan's a natural wood. I did genuinely spend too much time thinking about it) - Then I happened upon one of my favourite books, The Gentle Art of Quilt Making. I was given this beautiful book a few years ago and am yet to make my first quilt. So naturally I became obsessed with the idea of making them one - it really would have been the perfect present. I even have a 'secret' pinterest board dedicated to the notion. Unfortunately, the more I thought about it, the more time went past and I realised that I had very little time left to try and learn a completely new skill and make something bed sized! Rather than causing myself to have a miniature mental break down - I would have been up until 5am in the morning for a month prior to the wedding and still probably would have stitched the thing to myself - I decided to instead scale right down and make them a cushion. 

Yes, compared to a quilt, it's a  bit of an anticlimax, however, when I think how long the hand stitching took - I'm really quite pleased I didn't start a quilt. I would never have completed it in time. No one wants to turn up to a wedding with the promise of a present that might make an appearance in the next 6 to 12 months. So without further ado, may I present my first foray into quilted cushion making!

 

The fabrics were chosen to tone with a liberty fabric, Fitzgerald. I wanted to mix florals and geometric shapes, hopefully without being too girly.

 

I should point out my colleagues genuinely thought I was bizarre, hand stitching this at work in my lunch break.

TADA!

The zip and some of the stitching was a little bit on the un-straight/ dodgy side of things, but actually I was really pleased with the cushion once I'd finished it - I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to give it away! I'm definitely fired up to make myself one, or perhaps actually starting to make a quilt. If you fancy some inspiration, definitely check out The Gentle Art of Quilt Making, the photos alone are worth it.

(NB You've got the love was their first dance)