12.10.06

what a cushy job

WE MADE IT OURSELVES

As you know the ladies of hml love a bargain, and as discussed we can often be found in the manchester section of IKEA or indeed Lincraft, searching for customize-able discount produce.
At the moment there is an abundance of fantastically cheap cotton tea towels on the market conveniently arranged in color coded packages, ready for handmade craft projects.
We found the pink and gingham combo below at lincraft for only $3, and the blue and white striped number as part of a pack of four available at the ridiculously low price of $3.95 at IKEA...


After deciding upon a project of a slip cover throw cushion for beck niece Anna, we chose the pink/gingham combo and after pinning, stitched the two tea towels together longish to make our basic shape. The beauty of the tea towel of course for any project like this is that the incredibly annoying inside seams are already done for you. Genius!

Stage two was to give it some character with an appliqued a blue felt bird with blanket stitch over the seam where the fabrics meet on the front of the cushion, then added a oversized button for an eye, securely sewn on of course as the recipient is only 18 months old.

After determining the length of overhang needed to create our flaps on the slip cover we pinned it together, and then inserted the cushion to ensure it actually did fit. The final step was to turn it back inside out and sew the whole thing together. Easy peasy.

Voila! Project complete, a lovely Christmas present for little Anna in her Tokyo bedroom, ready for wrapping, made in half an hour and all for under $10.

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