{"id":2726,"date":"2018-05-11T22:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T21:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/?p=2726"},"modified":"2018-05-25T17:55:44","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T16:55:44","slug":"making-miriams-cushion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/11\/making-miriams-cushion\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Miriam&#8217;s cushion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"48e5397a39c6ea4ae31e40d674b2fea7\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- july 2019 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9380921822254336\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9798147637\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Recently one of my staff team handed in her notice, I was very sad to see her go because she is a great practitioner and a lovely human being, but I was happy to see her progress in her career.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally I wanted to give\u00a0Miriam a leaving gift that was personal from me to her, no shop bought gift , it had to be hand made.\u00a0 A cushion was all I had time to achieve, so this is the tale of Miriam\u2019s cushion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2734\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2734\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2734\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's cushion\" width=\"800\" height=\"712\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-300x267.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-768x684.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-150x134.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-600x534.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2734\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finished!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I decided all would be made from my fabric stash, and wanted something very pretty, so Liberty prints seemed to fit the bill.<\/p>\n<p>I wondered if perhaps there was a block called Miriam, well there is but it isn\u2019t particularly pretty, and its also known as Crazy Susan, so that wouldn\u2019t go down well. Stars was my second thought. Pinterest supplied this idea, Miriam\u2019s cushion was going to be Fab.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2727\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2727\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2727\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7115.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's cushion\" width=\"800\" height=\"544\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7115.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7115-300x204.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7115-768x522.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7115-150x102.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7115-600x408.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liberty prints<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>15 different fabrics were picked out of my stash, and a new white on white fabric was bought to tie them all together, there was nothing suitable in my stash.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2728\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2728\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2728\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7127.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's Cushion\" width=\"800\" height=\"692\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7127.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7127-300x260.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7127-768x664.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7127-150x130.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7127-600x519.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2728\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">trimming down to 2.5 &#8220;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>From each fabric one 2 \u00bd \u201c square and four 2\u215e\u00a0\u201c\u00a0\u00a0 triangles were required. \u00a0I found it easier to cut 2 x 3 \u201c squares from each fabric and the same from the white to make 4 half square triangle units by putting a Liberty fabric square right sides to right sides with a white square, sewing two lines half an inch apart across the diagonal and cutting them apart, pressing to the dark side, then cutting down to 2 \u00bd \u201c.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Half square triangle units are traditionally made by marking a fine pencil line diagonally across the paler fabric, so that it can easily be seen, and sewing a \u00bc\u201c from either side of the line.\u00a0 We press the seam allowance towards the darker fabric so as not to allow the darker fabric to show through the paler, it also helps to nest seams for a flatter, neater end result.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2729\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2729\" style=\"width: 794px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2729\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's Cushion\" width=\"794\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148.jpg 794w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148-150x151.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148-298x300.jpg 298w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148-768x774.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148-600x605.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7148-300x302.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">placing fabrics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Once I had 15 sets of square and triangles, I had to decide on placement of the fabrics, with this pattern there are no blocks which can be made up and colour placement decided later, each fabric interlocks with its neighbours row on row , so the whole design must be laid out in advance.\u00a0 Thank goodness it was only a cushion, I don\u2019t have space to lay out an entire quilt in this way.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2730\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7149.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's cushion\" width=\"800\" height=\"601\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7149.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7149-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7149-768x577.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7149-150x113.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7149-600x451.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Numbering the rows so that I didn\u2019t get myself in a tangle I stitched each row individually, then pressed the odd rows in one direction and the even rows in the other direction so that the seams would nest neatly.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I was under time pressure, so as I worked I considered how to finish Miriam\u2019s cushion, I wanted to finish the edge with a binding which would look like piping without the faff of having to use piping. But that left me with a problem of how to close the cushion cover.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A Zipper looks better than an envelope back, which I always think looks baggy and unfinished, but I couldn\u2019t figure out how to put a zipper in a bound edge. So rather than make a matching back I had to make a smaller version of the front for back with a sashing to insert a zipper and leave a raw edge to bind.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2731\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2731\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2731\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7178.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's cushion\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7178.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7178-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7178-768x513.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7178-150x100.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7178-600x401.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2731\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">cushion back with zipper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Each side was sandwiched with a 2oz wadding bought specially at Abakhan \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abakhan.co.uk\/stores\">https:\/\/www.abakhan.co.uk\/stores<\/a>) in Preston; and quilted simply with diagonal lines, happily because the wadding was quite chunky, it didn\u2019t need a lot of close quilting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2732\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2732\" style=\"width: 758px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2732\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7182.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's cushion\" width=\"758\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7182.jpg 758w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7182-284x300.jpg 284w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7182-150x158.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7182-600x633.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7182-300x317.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2732\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">quilting Miriam&#8217;s cushion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I sewed the front to the back wrong sides together with the raw edges on the outside, a \u00bc \u201c seam allowance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Finally I cut and stitched the binding ; I cut a 2 \u00bc \u201c binding and folded \u00a0it in half lengthways, right sides out, sewing it to the front of the cushion just a smidge wider than \u00a0\u00bc \u201c so that the first seam isn\u2019t showing.\u00a0 It also stabilises and strengthens the seam around the edge being stitched round a second time. \u00a0Then rolling the binding over the raw edge by hand, because I have folded the binding I now have a folded edge to hand stitch along the seam line on the reverse side.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2734\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2734\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2734\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192.jpg\" alt=\"Miriam's cushion\" width=\"800\" height=\"712\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-300x267.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-768x684.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-150x134.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_7192-600x534.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2734\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finished!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I used the same fabric for the binding as the sashing so that any wobbliness of the binding or the hand stitching would be less obvious on that side. I was burning the midnight oil by this time; Miriam\u2019s cushion had to be finished, she was leaving the following day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to label the cushion, but not for it to be seen \u00a0announcing myself constantly, so I made a label and stitched it inside the cushion, just under the zipper. \u00a0It simply says it was made for \u00a0Miriam, it is Miriam\u2019s cushion.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When I gave Miriam\u2019s Cushion to her, I pointed out my two errors, the zipper isn\u2019t centrally placed, can\u2019t figure out how that happened, but I didn\u2019t have time to fix it, and the far corner fabric isn\u2019t quite \u201cright\u201d, but I left it in because, as all quilters know, \u201conly God is Perfect\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There was one final flourish that I had planned to add but I ran out of time. It was a bible quotation I sought out especially For Miriam, a committed Christian, as she was leaving us for another job nearer to her home. I had planned it to be sewn inside like the label.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So here it is :-<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life\u2014this is indeed a gift from God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s more than simply Miriam\u2019s cushion it is a gift to express fond appreciation of the person she is. \u00a0Thank you Miriam for passing through my life however briefly, it has been a pleasure to know you, to work with you, to see you develop and flourish in your profession.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I wanted to give Miriam a leaving gift that was personal from me to her, no shop bought gift , it had to be hand made. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,1021,5,3,1],"tags":[624,643,535,957,128,534,1038,8,942,945],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2726"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2726"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2743,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2726\/revisions\/2743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mycrosspatch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}