Way back now, whilst browsing in Huddersfield’s Oxfam bookstore I came across the perfect introductory book to the art of patchwork. ‘Discovering Patchwork’ is a BBC book, originally published in the 1970’s, to accompany a series of the same name. I’m not going to lie, it’s dated! It’s packed full of retro projects which take me right back to my childhood. However, it gives a fantastic overview of patchwork techniques from the use of templates, hand sewing using paper patterns, and machined patchwork, as well as providing images of many of the traditional American block patterns for inspiration.
For my first project I used the traditional method of hand sewing with paper to embellish a tote bag with a six-pointed star (sadly no photos as it was a gift). For the following cushion cover however, I opted for machine sewing the pieces together- probably wiser for a larger project! The reason that it’s been some time in the making was that I accidentally inserted one of the blocks the wrong way around, meaning it didn’t match the intended Jacob’s Ladder pattern. Thankfully, Mum came to the rescue, and offered to unpick and resew it! This week, I’ve finally gotten around to backing the cushion. I’ve never made a cushion cover before, so pretty much made this up as I went along. I’ve created a kind of envelope design, so that it can be easily removed for washing- a must in my less than spotless abode!
Berry Crafts 