Birthday Crafting

While I love, love, love, making things for our cosy little home, I honestly think there is nothing better than giving a handmade gift. Whether for a birthday or a christening, over the festive period, or just to let someone know you're thinking of them, there is nothing like opening a parcel that has been handmade with love. So when my Mum mentioned that she was thinking of buying some new cushions for the sofa in the lounge, my mind started whirring, and before I knew it, I was hooking away so quickly you could almost imagine sparks flying off of the end!

As you know from the previous post, the endless hats and scarves orders have kept me tied to my hooks over the festive period, and with my Mums birthday falling on January 15th, there wasn't a lot of time to spare. So I hooked everywhere, snatching minutes on the sofa in front of the television in the evenings, the odd half an hour in the mornings in my lovely bed before getting up, in Cafe Nero before work started, and even on the bus to work. The pile grew (oooh look - my Cath Kidston Blackberry case crept into the photo - isn't she beautiful? I got her for Christmas)....

and grew....

...and grew, until I had enough squares (sixteen 5-round grannies) to make the front of the cushion cover.

Don't they look lovely, so neat and tidy sitting in their lines! I then spent two evenings in front of the television, hooking them all together, until I had my large crocheted panel....

...and then I decided to stitch around the edge of the whole thing in cream, just to neaten it up and give it a bit of contrast.

Lucy over at Attic24 does a marvelous tutorial on using old jumpers to back crocheted cushion covers, so I decided this would be the best bet - I couldn't bare having to crochet the back as well! Her instructions are so easy to follow, and in typical Attic24 style, there were plenty of pictures for when my brain just said, "hmmmm?" It took a while, and there were a few hairy moments when I was sure the whole thing was just going to look a mess, but after a little construction....

and a lot of patience....

...it all came together!

I had bought three cushion innards, so was going to make at least another one cover, and suddenly remembered the patchwork squares I bought from eBay on a complete whim a little while ago. They'd been sitting amongst my fabric stash for months, and I decided it was the perfect time to try out some patchwork (I did actually debate on quilting, but was really running out of time by now!), so I got the machine out and started stitching them together. Luckily, they were pre-cut, so this stage didn't take long at all.


The colours looked so lovely together, and I'm sure it was fate that I had them - my parents sofa is green, and I think green and pink always look perfect side by side! The stitching only took one evening, and then I had my lovely front panel....

I chose a green and cream floral print fabric for the back, and made two pieces into an overlapping back piece. Then, I stitched the whole thing together... and..... it was finished! I have to admit, I did a little dance when I looked at the lovely patchwork and the yummy crochet side by side. The colours did look ever so good together, especially sitting on my sofa.... don't you think they look all comfy and at-home there?

Here is a close up of the front....

...and the back...

I bought the wooden heart buttons especially for the crochet jumper, and I think it was a definite wise choice. I would have had them all along, but the wool shop only had those two!

They did look better on my Mum's sofa though, and she was ever so, ever so, EVER so, pleased with them. Her face lit up when she opened them and we had a big mother-daughter-squishy hug. She said that she liked them so much more than if I had bought her some, because as well as being beautiful, I had spent time and effort making them. Then we had another hug!

Happy Birthday to my lovely, lovely Mum!