Little Miss Ooobop’s Fabulous Quiltblock Cushion

Let it not be said that my littlest daughter doesn’t finish anything! I am so proud of her and I think you can tell by the photos that she is pretty damned pleased with herself too! And most amazingly, all the photos were bribe-free! No hard cash, no ice creams…. nuffink!

She made the central quilt block – a double four patch – back in January. She sewed each little square by hand and made such a neat job of it. I can honestly say I wouldn’t have done any better myself!

So this weekend, when she asked if she could turn the block into a cushion cover I dutifully abandoned any sewing plans of my own, made a dash to the market for a cushion pad, and did some maths to work out the remaining blocks needed for the front panel and two for the envelope back pieces. Actually, the maths, was probably the most time consuming part of this project!

I had the powder blue linen in stash so this counts as a minor stash bust too…yay!

And Little Miss Ooobop! cleverly rooted through the button box to seek out these lovely purple buttons for the back.

She loved being the ‘master of the machine’! And as soon as she’d finished the cover she was practicing the different stitches for her next project!

It is so lovely to share a child’s enthusiasm. Especially when it is focussed on something so basic and traditional. I know I can’t push it too far. I so don’t want to put her off. She has to come to me with her own desire for crafting but I might just happen to plant a little creative seed of thought every now and then!

Elsie approves! (kind of)

Elsie arrived safely but just needs to learn the ground rules!

Is it a bird . . . ?

Yup!

Meet Elsie the chicken,  or ‘chook’ as my friend might say! Elsie – well, not Elise in particular – but a chicken toy of sorts was going to be a gift for my friend Elina way back in June when we were invited to her summer garden party.

We were so looking forward to going and spending a lovely afternoon in Oxford at a quintessential English garden party. I even had plans on a rose-print tea dress, but the date was usurped by my daughter’s own birthday celebrations and so, in the end, we missed out on what looked to be such a gorgeous event.

Whilst flicking through the photos of the party on Facebook, I clocked a great picture of Elsie the (real) chicken in Elina’s garden. Fabulous reference! Just because we didn’t go, didn’t mean I couldn’t still send her a chicken!

And so armed with my copy of Tilda’s Crafting Springtime Gifts, (The self same book that inspired my Tilda bunnies!) a small pile of linen and a big bag of stuffing, I set to work.

A fiddly little thing to put together but nonetheless hugely rewarding. I love that you sew around the shapes before cutting them out, with a small seam allowance. Makes for much more accuracy. There was still lots of hand sewing, however, which, once I’d relaxed about it and told myself I had all the time in the world,  was actually enjoyable. And in case I haven’t mentioned it in a while…. I love linen! I love the way it moulds and feels and creates something that feels instantly nostalgic!

I’m so glad that real Elsie is white because it’s so difficult finding a light brown linen! She started to look like a duck at one point but of course, her ‘tiara’ and ‘wobbly bits’ under the chin are all she needs to confirm her identity, hey?! I should have used red really, for her contrasting details but the orange linen looked far too good to ignore… artistic license and all that!

I do hope that Elina will like her. I hope too that Elsie arrives before she notices this post too! I’m just far too impatient these days!

I ♥ Tilda Bunnies

Tilda bunnies... couldn't stop at one!

I’ve been wanting to make a Tilda Bunny ever since I saw some real cuties posted by Long Red Thread. I also have a deep love for linen… and a new machine I wanted to get to grips with! So this little project was perfect to satisfy all needs.

... so much fun to make!

Just had to find a pattern which unsurprisingly doesn’t exist as a freebie. So for a mere £4.45 (special price at Amazon) I ordered a copy of Crafting Springtime Gifts. The free delivery option ensured it arrived the following morning which was even more impressive!

Crafting Springtime Gifts

There are lots of lovely gift suggestions inside but the main focus is on the lovely Tilda Bunny itself. The instructions suggest making a card template to trace directly onto the fabric. You then stitch on the pencil lines and trim a small seam allowance to cut them out. They are filled with polyester toy filling and the openings are hand stitched. A tiny triangle of pink embroidery ensures a cute little nose and my daughters black fabric marker made for perfect eyes (and is now resident in my craft box…shhh don’t tell her!)

Embroidered nose and eyes with fabric marker

Ooo… nothing like a close up of those lovely linen fibres! I really should get out more!

I didn’t use much more than the basic running and overcast stitches but couldn’t resist incorporating a decorative star stitch round the hems of the bloomers… just because I can!

Decorative star stitch

Of course it didn’t stop with the two bunnies and their traditional outfits. Samaria promptly earmarked a few dress designs from her Build-A-Bear catalogue and begged a party dress for her bunny. Strapless with a sweetheart neckline… why of course!

Tilda Bunny party dress

I can’t go without a mention to the wonderful Mr Ooobop! Not only is he the reason I am now in posession of the most amazing sewing machine, he also took these fantastic photos for me. He is becoming a dab hand with the camera lately and I will be sure to share some of his creations with you real soon.

I ♥ Tilda Bunnies

Tilda bunnies... couldn't stop at one!

I’ve been wanting to make a Tilda Bunny ever since I saw some real cuties posted by Long Red Thread. I also have a deep love for linen… and a new machine I wanted to get to grips with! So this little project was perfect to satisfy all needs.

... so much fun to make!

Just had to find a pattern which unsurprisingly doesn’t exist as a freebie. So for a mere £4.45 (special price at Amazon) I ordered a copy of Crafting Springtime Gifts. The free delivery option ensured it arrived the following morning which was even more impressive!

Crafting Springtime Gifts

There are lots of lovely gift suggestions inside but the main focus is on the lovely Tilda Bunny itself. The instructions suggest making a card template to trace directly onto the fabric. You then stitch on the pencil lines and trim a small seam allowance to cut them out. They are filled with polyester toy filling and the openings are hand stitched. A tiny triangle of pink embroidery ensures a cute little nose and my daughters black fabric marker made for perfect eyes (and is now resident in my craft box…shhh don’t tell her!)

Embroidered nose and eyes with fabric marker

Ooo… nothing like a close up of those lovely linen fibres! I really should get out more!

I didn’t use much more than the basic running and overcast stitches but couldn’t resist incorporating a decorative star stitch round the hems of the bloomers… just because I can!

Decorative star stitch

Of course it didn’t stop with the two bunnies and their traditional outfits. Samaria promptly earmarked a few dress designs from her Build-A-Bear catalogue and begged a party dress for her bunny. Strapless with a sweetheart neckline… why of course!

Tilda Bunny party dress

I can’t go without a mention to the wonderful Mr Ooobop! Not only is he the reason I am now in posession of the most amazing sewing machine, he also took these fantastic photos for me. He is becoming a dab hand with the camera lately and I will be sure to share some of his creations with you real soon.

Hoppy Christmas everybody!

Happy Christmas from Lady Flopsy

Well here it is… Christmas eve 2011! I still have to do a mad dash to Westfields, there’s the food shopping to do and some presents to deliver. I have a trifle to make and of course a mountain of gifts to wrap. But what am I doing? Making bunnies of course!

My new years resolution was to steal every available opportunity to sew and it’s kicked in a bit too soon! I want to act on every urge I have to create something, and I’m starting from now. This little lady rabbit is not ready to be parted with just yet. She’s not got her clothes on yet for goodness sakes! It was more to satisfy my weird obsession with linen! Clearly one of my favourite fabrics. I love its rawness, the natural colours and the way it moulds and shapes and always looks like a piece of history!

But really I should be getting on with the above. So before I hop off to join the masses in their moments of last minute madness I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. I’m so grateful for all the inspiration and encouragement from all my readers and followees and without doubt you are all a very special part of my life!

Lots of love Janene x