Charlie and the cushion

Inspired by CreationsCeeCee YouTube tutorial about being stuck creatively

I started painting for the first time in ages this morning. I’d stumbled upon CreationsCeeCee on YouTube and was inspired to get my paints out and dabble (as above).

Cats and the vet

Jess has had some problems recently and was having a follow-up exam. Turns out she has diabetes and is now on insulin. Apparently, cats can go into diabetic remission so fingers crossed that this won’t be a long-term, chronic condition.

The second visit was with a stray cat who seems to have adopted us. His visits have become daily over the last 6 months (he has been coming around for over 18 months). The poor thing is always beaten up. Scratches, bites… and he’s dirty and hollow-legs-hungry. Yesterday, he was limping and dripping small drops of blood as he walked. We decided to take him to the vets and get him seen to.

We also decided if he wasn’t chipped, we’d have him spayed and take him in.

Checkpoint Charlie

He wasn’t chipped so we let the vet do a full check on him. He was screened for FIV, treated for worms and fleas, had a bite to his leg stitched up and his other scratches and wounds cleaned and treated. A shot of long-lasting antibiotics and he was done. We’ve called him Charlie.

Cushion

In between vet visits, I kept myself occupied with a couple of projects. The first was to run up a cushion and use the last of this lovely watercolour animal fabric. Charlie likes to stretch out on the cushion and have a good nap.

Cherry Bakewell cupcakes

And bake a batch of cherry bakewell cupcakes.

Appliqued, hand-embroidered cushion

cushion_front

Today I finished making a second little cushion. It’s got lots of hand-embroidered stitches, beads, buttons and wooly bits.  It’s  approximately 12″ x 12″ and has a feather-filled cushion filler inside and is deliciously plump and squashy.

It’s made from pink wool-rich Tweedy fabric with a funky floral design cotton material over the top.

Finally, a mid-weight linen panel with an appliqué cottage and tree to decorate in the middle.

layoutcushionNow that I’ve got a little repertoire of hand stitches mastered, I’m ready to move on.

I’ve been practising:

  • Twisted Daisy Border Stitch
  • Sheaf Stitch
  • Tete De La Boeuf
  • Russian Chain Stitch
  • Rosette of Thorns

If you’re looking for inspiration and help with hand embroidery, I recommend Sarah’s Hand Embroidery.