My 15 minutes play challenge

I'm feeling much better at last, thank you for the kind words and yes I reckon the vodka did help in the end !
I have been busy catching up for lost time ....undercoating blessed paintwork in ready-ness for a new carpet being laid on the stairs and upper landing next week...........
got to gloss paint now, starting tomorrow yukkkkk.
I hate gloss painting.............

I have also ( almost) completed my 15 minutes of Play challenge ...........Yeah!

I mentioned previously I had bought the book '15 Minutes of Play' by Victoria Findlay Wolfe and found it interesting to see her method of making fabric in a crazy patchwork way, then cutting out traditional motifs from it.

Well having found some fabric that Victoria figured bordered on ugly...she offered a piece to some of the blog readers and challenged them to make something from it.
 Actually I quite liked it and hoped to have some left over to make a couple of hexis with............but I managed to use all except  a 1.5 x 4" rectangle!
darn it.....lol

Now if you nip over to Victoria's blog and scroll back, you will see what some of the others who received a piece, have done with their challenge fabric pieces......wonderful to see the different methods used!
http://www.15minutesplay.com/

I was very conscious that I'm an inexperienced patch worker, so knowing my limitations and given my RecycLin ideas I opted for something a little different and that I can use.
So using a 1950s old apron and a little scrap modern paisley fabric, I tore strips and laid them together higgledy piggledy-ish on a cotton backing. 

I chose to hand stitch rather than machine, stitching all the layers down, using a Madeira Cotona variegated thread in a sashiko like, alternating arc pattern.

I then fused some flower stems, cut from a cold water dyed piece of fabric I'd made some while ago and using one single thread of variegated embroidery thread I blanket stitched the stems in position....none too neatly looking at them now!
Love that embroidery thread. I think its a hand dyed I bought at the NEC some years ago wish I could recall from whom!

You may just see the hand stitching on the background in this picture.

Now I set to and made the flowers........by simply cutting rectangles of fabric, folding them in half and stitching running stitches along the raw edges, tucking in neatly at each end and ruching them up. 
I coordinated my challenge fabric with some scraps of batik and built the flowers up layering the slightly ruched rectangle 'petals' around a centre.
The centres are similarly ruched lace edgings off a jumble sale dress...see the smocking on it?............a bonus that and lovely patchwork cotton to boot!

The flowers needed something else in the centre so I raided my mother of pearl box............
 I stitched the flowers on to the stems and twiddled artistically 
( ha ha), a couple of skinny strips of the challenge fabric into 'buds'.

Now at this stage I'd decided it was going to be a cushion front rather than a small hanging quilt-let but I wanted a more country feel to it, so......
I pulled out a wool jumper, one of the many I've picked up from jumble sales and that I have felted up in the washing machine.
I fashioned a cushion cover from the front and back of a grey one, allowing the welt to be part of the design,
and this is the result...........deliberately a little off kelter to add a bit more interest.

I blanket stitched with mocha perle all round the panel and the deep welt sits at the top of the cushion.
This jumper had a 3" rib crossover neckline so I cut that off and have stitched it onto the front side at the top, so that it forms a flap at the back.
I like my cushion covers to come off for washing, so this will have mother of pearl buttons on the back and either press studs, or more likley hand stitched button holes to fasten it.
But here it is so far.... with a little strip of narrow ribbon threaded through from the back and tied in a bow around the stem ends..........and stitched with invisible thread so the bow stays tied. 

I really enjoyed the challenge and am game for any more!!
It was good fun and interesting to see what others have chosen to do too.
I might even set one up myself and send out some squares of silk ........watch this space if your interested, will give it more thought when I've done the gloss painting ......................sigh...