The Peacock's Feather

One from the UFO Bin!

I mentioned that I was ready for a new small project... I ended up choosing a design that was stitched but not finished--Prairie Schooler's "A Prairie Year II"--August.  I had this idea, oh, about five years ago that I would stitch each monthly design and finish each a different way.  I made it January through March and then sort of fizzled.  I did finish July and here is August.  I have a few more partially stitched, so I thought it would be fun to work on these again.  And now that I have my first mattress pincushion under my belt, here I am working on number two!

Many thanks for the comments on my last two posts--particularly the finishing help from a few days ago.  Lessons learned--I love polyfill, but it is a little too lumpy.  And interacing may be a helpful thing, though I didn't have a problem with fraying.

This time around I am going to use interfacing, and try good old quilt batting for a smoother look.  I am also not going to use pins for embellishment, but I will stitch some design or words on the edges.  I've been very much in a stitching mood, so I might even finish this on the upcoming weekend.  Then I can move on to another month!

And...It's Finished!

Here it is--I've finished my Prairie Schooler "Rain, Rain" design.  Thanks for the suggestions and help!  I ended up using play old polyfill to stuff it.  I may tweak how I finish something like this in the future, but it went smoothly enough.  I wonder if I should use interfacing to make it a little stiffer?  And I use two plies of floss, but would one work just as well and be easier?  I have a feeling I'll be making more of these!

The corners are always the hardest part of finishing something like this.  I may change the color of the pins that I chose, and I may use a piece of ribbon, but right now this is how it looks.

I might also use a little interfacing next time, too, though I'm not sure.  It has a sort of 'lumpy' quality to it, but I still like it!  Now I get to decide whether to pull out another small UFO or start a new design.  I am still working on PS "February" but it is also nice to have a small project on the go as well.

Finishing in Progress

So, finishing is in progress this weekend.  I was sort of dreading this--but once all the backstitching was done, the actual assembly has been going very smoothly.  I really like this sort of finishing actually.  As this is my first 'mattress' pincushion, I do have a question--what should I stuff it with?  I have lots of the sort of wispy stuff that goes into pillows and I have some quilt batting which is thicker.  I was wondering if anyone uses matte board inside to give it a little more structure and weight?  I contemplated using the stuff you iron onto the back of the linen as well, but I opted not to (as I would have to dig through bins to find the stuff).  Any suggestions?  I will hopefully finish it later this afternoon after I get chores out of the way, so any input is welcome.

Endless Backstitching!

I've wanted to post here for days now, but it's hard during the work week.  I don't seem to have extra time for either stitching or posting, but maybe it's better that I waited a bit, as I actually have something to share.  I've been working on the finishing for my Prairie Schooler, "Rain, Rain" design.   So much backstitching tends to make my head ache a little, but I think the worst is behind me.  I've just got one more strip left and can start constructing my mattress cushion--this will be my first time trying this.  I've counted and recounted and I think everything matches.  When I lay the front and back side by side they don't look quite the same size, but I am assuming that is due to the linen threads not being the same size and I'm sure I cut the two pieces from odd angles of the same piece of fabric.  Fingers crossed that it will all line up in the end. 

I've also done a little work on my "February" sampler.  I had to pick out the tree next to the log cabin as I miscounted, but I think I am back on track now.  This middle section seems to be taking me an inordinately long amount of time to make progress on.  I am enjoying it, though I dread all the filling of white that it calls for--snow!  I think when I finish this I will definitely have to look for a spring design to work on--something nice and colorful, and maybe with a nice green garden!