Packing your children off to university can be tough. Moira Neal has an idea that gives your child a little bit of 'home' to take away. Photography by Tony Neal.
Based on fabric at least 1m wide
Intermediate
If you have teenagers going off to college or university, this floor cushion can be stuffed with a pillow and duvet or sleeping bag, all set for unexpected visitors. Whatever you fill it with it will be well used and admired.
Bargello embroidery, which is worked with vertical, parallel stitches to create colourful designs, has inspired this technique among quilters. Here we hope to inspire you with this simple introduction to the technique. Work as accurately as possible and you are sure to be pleased with the results.
This is a great project for usng up the fabrics in your stash. Start by choosing one or two fabrics that you really like and which go well together and then pick out a selection of paler and darker ones too. As you can see, this one featured changes from pale cream to beige, black, brown, rust and finally burgundy. This contrast of light through to dark will make your design more eye-catching than simply using a selection of 12 random fabrics.
Ideally, all the fabrics should be washed and ironed to prevent shrinkage later. It is easier to cut across the width of the fabric if it is folded into four first.
You’ll find you have enough fabric left for a couple more cuts. If you choose to use these, the end result will be more oblong.
TIP! It is a good idea to clean and oil your machine before starting this project as there is quite a bit of high speed stitching involved!
TIP! You may wish to reinforce your work at this stage by pressing iron on Vilene to the back of the Bargello, which will help to secure the stitching. Alternatively, back it and quilt it in the ditch of each seam line.
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