This gorgeous pattern is the Bouquet Cushion - the pattern is from the book Patchwork Quilts and Gifts by Jo Colwill, and the fabrics were purchased as a kit from Cowslip Worshops stand at the Festival of Quilts back in 2016. It had been packed away with several other kits, and I finally made a start on it back in January. The background was pieced together with a selection of low volume fabrics, and the flower stems were made very simply using bias strips. The tulips and leaves were machine appliqued into place, and the larger flowers have been both hand appliqued and hand embroidered...
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...once the applique was completed, the front of the cushion was layered up with cotton wadding and calico (both included in the kit) and prepared for hand quilting. Using the same cream DMC perle thread that I'd used for the hand embroidery, I marked a simple grid in a crosshatch design, making my lines 1.5" apart. A few vintage buttons have been scattered amongst the appliquéd flowers...
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...once the front of the cushion was completed, I put it away as I was busy with other things - house sitting for friends, holidays and a new grandson were all taking up my time! Anyway, last week I decided I really needed to get it finished, and started by doodling ideas for a hand embroidered "label" for the back of the cushion. Once I'd drafted my ideas, this was traced onto the lined with a lightpad and a Micron Pigma pen, and hand embroidered very simply. A row of bound buttonholes was stitched along the opening, and the cushion is fastened by threading a fabric strip through the buttonholes, knotted at one end and tied in a bow at the other end...
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...and here's the completed Bouquet Cushion. It's quite large, approx 24" x 30" and is filled with 2 feather bed pillows. It was a super project to make, and I've also got the fabrics to make a quilt in similar colours, which I'm hoping to to make a start on soon!
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