Needlepoint Pillows 1

I have recently taken on some commission work of turning completed needlepoint canvases into pillows for a neighbor.  It started with 4 canvases and a couple more have been added.  Three are done and given back to her.  Two are on the blocking board.  The last came in when I gave her the first 3 and still needs to be blocked.  It’s been fun digging through the stash to find the right backing and, in one case so far, trim.

Here are the three that are done.

Quick Cushion

I needed an “instant gratification” project as the mystery quilt is taking time.  Not just in the quilting of it, but the cats keep deciding it’s the purrfect place to snooze, so I keep having to clean the fur off of it.  Stinkers.

Munchkin had a little upholstered stool that at some point recently became highly unstable.  Some part of its structure was broken and it had to go in the bin.  We were out at Cost Plus today and saw this small rattan stool and accompanying cushion.  They were, of course, sold separately.  And the cost of the cushion, well, it was hard to justify knowing that I have a towering boxes of fabric, both new cuts and stuff to be re- or up-cycled.

I knew before we got home what I wanted to use.  The box of denim pieces.  Only a small bit of cutting was required as much of it was cut already.  I threw some random pieces together, and stitched them up to make two pieces that could accommodate 18″ circle cuts.  I laid them down right sides together, and marked 4 cardinal points then drew arcs connecting them to make the circle.  I pinned it, with different ones to call out the turning opening.  I stitched the circled twice just to be sure, took out the pins, turned it and stuffed it with a combination of poly fill and cuttings not suitable for scraps (selvages and the like).  A quick whip stitch sealed it up, and now we have a cushion for considerably less.

And it was a fun little quick project.