Homemade Doily Cushion

Homemade doily cushion

For a while now I have been admiring these

 lovely screen printed doily cushions

 at the shop around the corner.

They are so fun and bright and made by Lumiere Art & Co

I love their stuff,

 but I can't go buying everything I see and like.

So as usual...

 I wanted to make my own version

 as a cheap alternative to brighten up a chair I have in mind.

 I have a collection of doilies that I find at Opp shops for around $1 each.

So I selected the finest one I had.

Then I mixed up a bit of blue dye left over from another project.

The doily soaked up the dye perfectly and the colour turned out better than I had thought.

I made a cushion cover out of white linen I already had.

Then I stitched the doily carefully around the edge.

Oh my gosh..

It turned out so well.

I think I like mine better than the one I wanted to buy.

I love that there is real texture to it and it looks so delicate.

I know I blog about cushions a bit, 

but they are the easiest and cheapest way to create

a new look or feel in your home.

So there...

a current look 

and room update for 

$ 0

All made with things I already had.

The sweater that never made it to the Opp Shop

I recently did a major clean out of the house

 and gave a lot away to good will.  

This French Connection sweater below was from the 90's and just too short and fluffy to wear again.

It was packed up and ready to go to the Opp shop.

Until....

I had a read of my favourite magazine.

The black and white contrasting cover caught my eye

and I had an idea.

As usual when I read my favourite style & home magazines

 I like to try one or two ideas I like

 and apply them to my home to keep it feeling current.  

So,

 after seeing this cover,

I decided I wanted some more contrast in my bedroom.

I wanted a black,

 chunky knit cushion

 for my bed.

I knew just how to get one

 for $0!

Repurposing is one of my favourite things to do!!

And my Mother in Law, who loves to sew, is visiting!!

So I took that old French Connection sweater out

 and asked her how we could turn it into a cushion.

I also happened to have an extra cushion insert

 which was a perfect fit.

She is amazing.

She actually managed to stitch the sweater around the cushion

keeping the sweater completely intact!

Which means,

 if I ever wanted to

I could unstitch it and wear it again?

Handy Hint: I used a razor and gently shaved off all the lint balls to make it look like new.

Now I have a

wintery

cozy

contrasting

bedroom update for

$0.

Nice

P.S.

I made this bedhead ages ago.

I originally picked up a large art work, from the side of the road, only for the amazing frame it had.

I nearly discarded the artwork inside but instead.....

I covered the large canvas with a layer of batting to add some cushioning.

Then I staple gunned some lovely thick linen upholstery fabric to it.

I thought it look a little bit plain,

so I stitched 3 subtle little grey x's in the middle.

Then I attached it to the wall with 3M velcro strips.

The other cushions are made out of linen tea towels to match.

Custom Make Your Own Printed Fabrics

I needed some new fabric to match the paintings I recently did for my living room.  I love linen and hunted everywhere for something really nice, but everything was way over $100 a meter.  So I bought this little carving and made my own in the exact colour I needed.

There...custom printed fabric for less than $18 a meter

Now I just have to make the cushion....will post photos when it's done.