Simple Crochet Cushion - Tutorial.

We have not seen blue skies for almost a week now, its been raining almost non stop for days.  For most being stuck indoors, no sunshine in days it can be quite depressing, but not for me!  I love rainy days, any excuse to cuddle, watch some dvd's, eating soup and pancakes.  I love it!  It can be challenging keeping a almost 3 year old entertained, especially when her most favorite time of the day is to play outside.  So for her sake I hope it clears up soon, but as for me, I wont mind having another week of rain...

As for what I've been up to this past week, well the weather was perfect for a bit of crocheting.  So I've made a few cushions to brighten up my sewing room, and thought of showing you how I made them.

What you will need:

3 x 50g Cotton Yarn in different colours of your choice.
3mm Crochet Hook (US - , UK 11)
+- 17 Inch Square Matching Fabric for the back, and the same size lining fabric
Cushion Filling
Matching Thread

Crochet Terms.

(These instructions are written in UK terms, American terms written in red)

UK / US

ss - Slip Stitch (Slip Stitch)

ch - Chain (Chain)

dc - Double Crochet (Single)

htr - Half Treble (Half Double)

st - (Stitch)

I used a heavier weight yarn and larger hook for the pictures below, to show up better.

Start with a chain of 5 and join in to a circle with a ss

Round 1.  Ch 1 (counts as 1 dc), 11 dc in loop space (total 12 st).  Joint with a ss

Round 2.  Chain 1 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc into same space, * 2 dc into the next st * (* repeat 11 times) Total of 24 st.  Join with a ss.

Round 3.  Chain 2 (counts as 1 htr).  1htr in next st * 2 htr in next st, 1 htr in the next 2 st * (repeat * 6 times) 2 htr in next st, join with a ss.  

Round 4.  Chain 2 (counts as 1 htr) 1 htr in same space, 1 htr in next st * 2 htr in the next st, 1 htr in the next 3 st * (repeat * 6 times), 2 htr in next st, join with a ss.  

Round 5.  Chain 1 (counts as 1 htr) 1 htr in same space, 1 htr in the next 2 st * 2 htr in next st, 1 htr in the next 4 st * (repeat * 6 times), 2 htr in next st, join with a ss

Continue this way, increasing the number of htr between the 2 htr on each side, you increase with 8 st on each round until the piece is approx 16 inches across.

Change yarn colours every, 2, 3, 4 or 6 rounds as you like to get a finish you want.  Fasten off and sew in  the loose ends.

To finish your cushion, cut the matching back fabric and lining fabric slightly larger that the crochet front.  Make a sandwich by placing the lining fabric behind the crochet piece, and the back fabric, right sides together on top.

Using your sewing machine top stitch the three layers together, carefully feeling your way just to the edge of the cushion.  Remember to leave an opening to turn the bag right side out, secure it properly by back stitching your start and finish.

Turn the bag right side out and start filling the cushion.  Hand sew the opening closed and add a button, securing it properly.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will be making some crochet cushions of your own.

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Clamshell Crochet Blanket

This past winter I discovered how much FUN crocheting is!  But its honestly not fun crocheting a warm blanket in the summer.  I think that if I am going to crochet in the warm summer months, it would be small project like cushions and doilies, or even granny squares that I can sew together in the winter.  But I have set out to finish it before the end of the month, so I am glad to have it done.   

It turned out beautifully!  It really is a lovely, soft and warm blanket.  I found the step by step tutorial for this blanket from Sandra over at Cherry Heart.  It really is a beautiful pattern, and I think the colours I used made it really pop.  

It finishes at 47 inches square.  

I used various colours elle Purge Gold Chunkie yarn.  It is so SO soft, easy to use and I am already thinking of making another blanket using the leftover yarn.  I was lucky to find a few skeins of white from my favorite yarn shop a while ago.  The white yarn sell out so fast and the time it takes for the shop to have new stock takes forever.  I think I will have to search online to find more...  At least I have enough to start.

Previous GOAL setting post blogged HERE for A Lovely Year of Finishes #77.

Linking this finish to ALYOF2014 for January 2014.

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TEN UFO Sightings!

No, no!  ET has NOT landed.. but MY UFOs has!  You know those UnFinished Objects you ignore up to a point when you realize its either time to finish them or forget them completely!  Well I have ignored my UFO's for far too long now, and decided that this year I am going to do my very best and finish what I've started.  

So I am joining in this years' a lovely year of finishes hosted by Fibre of all sorts and Sew Bitter Sweet Designs.

The plan is, to finish off at least one, either old or new project in one month.  Now I have more than enough projects to keep me busy for quite some time, but there is at least one project that I am sure that I wont be able to complete in one month, and that is my one inch hexies quilt.  There are over 1500 basted hexies to piece together, so I am going to make it my goal to piece at least 50 together in a month.  This will not be part of the linkup I am sharing over at a lovely year of finishes but just a personal goal I want to set for myself.  If I dont make it, its okay too, I just feel that unless I push myself I wont finish at all!

So for January I am going to concentrate on my clam-shell crochet blanket.  I am close to finishing it, and to just get into the whole idea of completing something before month-end I am going to keep it simple.  I want to add at least another 10 inches to this blanket (at 47 inches wide), so it should be finished it no time.  

There is a catch though, it is summer, and with temperatures going up to 34°C (93°F) it is going to be,... well ... HELL, lol.

But I am hopeful, and I am going to get it done!

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Looking Back at 2013 and SOME of my Favorite Projects

Looking back at 2013 and comparing it to 2012 when I started quilting, my quilting and sewing skills have improved immensely.  I learned so many free motion quilting designs, I got a lot more confident and I allowed myself to explore with what I could do.  I have created a few collages of some or rather MOST of the projects I have made this past year.  Most are completed and some are still a work in progress, but mostly I am surprised at the amount I got done.  I am not going to go into too much detail of each of them, but I have included links to the blog posts if you'd like to read more about them.  Some did not make its way here, but I hope you enjoy seeing a few of my favorites.  I've grouped them into quilts, bags, crochet projects, mini quilts and fabric postcards...oh and some of my handmade Christmas gifts too.

Karli's Quilt   *   Gone Golfing, Back Maybe   *   Disappearing Four Patch Baby Quilt     *     Re-purposed Flannel Baby Quilt   *   Asymmetrical Half Square Triangle Quilt

Quilted Tote Bag   *   African Flower Crochet Bag (Small)   *   African Flower Crochet Bag (Large)   *   Charlotte Bag   *   Re-purposed Denim Bag   *   Tote Bag

Crochet Head Band   *   Clamshell Crochet Blanket WIP   *   Pansy Doily   *   Sunburst Granny Square   *  Doilies   *   Chevron Crochet WIP

Quilted Cushions   *   Mini Valentines Quilt   *   Feather Mini Quilts   *   Bright Quilted Cushions   *   Dresden Mini Quilt

Fabric Postcards as part of a world wide swap on Facebook.

Handmade Christmas gifts, the book cover tutorial can be found here.

This past year I enrolled to quite a few BOM's, and quilt alongs, but for some reason I was just not as committed I thought would be, I quickly lost interest and strangely it was not as much fun as I thought it would be.  Sure I would still like to finish what I've started, but I decided to not take it too seriously.  

As for 2014, I will go with the flow.  I have only one goal set out, and that is to design and write my own quilt patterns.  If I only do ONE for the year, I will be happy.  The idea is to have fun with it , so we'll see...

Thanks to each and everyone of you for following along this past year, I hope you will visit regularly.  It is going to be a great one, I know it!

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A little reminder, my anything goes mondays linky party will resume on Monday 6 January 2014.  Hope to see you then.  Happy new year!!!

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