Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Cushions for Comfort....




Feeling the Blues.....

Not Very much was accomplished in my mini worlds last weekend Dear Readers, because most of Saturday was spent traveling way up into the mountains to attend a Memorial Service for a dear woman, a co-worker for twelve years, who passed away recently after a long struggle with cancer. The road was long and snowy and nostalgic, we used to go that way when I was a child and used to ski in those mountains. The weather was bitterly cold, not getting above 15 degrees F, and windy too. The tiny New England church in the Village was packed with family and friends, there to reminisce and say "good-bye" to a beloved woman whose life was too short. She is Home now. Back up in those hills where she was born and lived most of her life. We miss her. But life goes on. When I got home late in the afternoon, my eyes fell on a little pile of cloth scraps... scraps I had bought a couple of years ago on another terribly nostalgic trip to a different Memorial Service at another tiny New England church.... and had not yet made use of.....

Something about the cheerful blue flowers called out "cushions" to me....
The scrap, bought at a little quilting shop in the back of beyond, 
was only 2 and 1/2 inches wide by 22 inches long.... 
just the right size to make mini pillows!
So I spent the evening stitching up a couple of tiny pillows 
with bright 60's era patterns on them,
 and then wondered where in my many houses they should go....

I had always thought the Attic of The Lovely Old Dollhouse 
should have an old "Hippy Vibe" to it...
as though it was decorated by a teenager in the 60's....
The cushions would be perfect!

And then I thought there should be curtains too!
But there was so little fabric... 
would there be enough...?
It is such a tiny window.... 
surely there would be enough....

So I cut the remainder of the cloth in half 
and stitched hems on all the sides...
Leaving a pocket at the top for the curtain rod...
made from an old coat hanger
 (just like all the other curtain rods in The Lovely Old Dollhouse!)


Can you Believe the serendipity of how the pattern aligns?
I think they look simply Gorgeous!
But that window was still unfinished... 
It was the only window in the house that had no trim!
So I dug around in my scrap wood...
 and found the remains of that lovely old lumber
 my brother had cut for me so long ago....
And sawed it into pieces to trim the window...

And glued them in place.
The window still has no glass....
But that will have to wait for another day...
building the glass windows is not a simple task!

The framing is rough as befits an attic.
I screwed in some tiny eye-screws to hold the curtain rod...

And hung the curtains!
It was getting dark, so the picture is not the greatest...
but I think they are the Perfect curtains for this attic room!
And the only other project I made progress on Dear Readers, 
was the petit point embroidery for the Tea cosy...

I completed the front side with the Blue Willow pattern.....
And started on the reverse side....
Ii know, it doesn't look like much yet.... 
I think it is a stylized Oriental Cloud pattern.....


 Anybody can guess where this Tea-cosy will end up....!
And speaking of Clouds.... 
We are under the clouds right now...
It is snowing heavily and blizzard winds are forecast... 
we are supposed to get a LOT of Snow!
I am home from work today... trying to stay cozy...


Perhaps I will stay curled up in bed with Cushions and a Book...
For what better comfort is there than Cushions, Dear Readers,
When feeling a Little Blue?


33 comments:

  1. Hello Betsy,
    Firstly, I am very sorry for the loss of your dear friend. You and everyone who's life she touched are in my thoughts and prayers.
    The cushions and the curtains are just beautiful. What a beautiful, cheerful fabric! I cannot wait to see the completed tea cozy...your stitch work is amazing!
    Big hug
    Giac

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Giac! I didn't expect that fabric to be so important! But I really think that tiny scrap has set the whole mood for the decor of the attic! I really love it more every day!

      Delete
  2. Good way to heal the blues at the soul
    Your achievements are very sweet
    Warm hugs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Claude!
      I love to sew and it really felt therapeutic!

      Delete
  3. So sorry for your loss. The window is looking great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Troy! Eventually I will have to do the glass part too.

      Delete
  4. Hello, Betsy. I'm sorry for your loss of a lovely friend and co-worker. I'm glad that you found the cheerful fabric and a happy purpose for it. The cushions are so bright and pretty - and the pattern alignment is amazing! I admire your attic window frame and your lovely tea cozy. I hope you stay warm and comfortable during this latest snowfall. Cushions and a book sound ideal!
    Marjorie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Marjorie! I am loving the mood that these curtains create! And you will probably not believe me when I say I really didn't even give the pattern alignment a thought until I was putting them on the curtain rod! LOL! Pure luck that they match so well!

      Delete
  5. Dear Betsy, A very nice post. You will remember your friend and the journey you took to bid her farewell.
    The cushions are indeed very cheerful and very 70's. Oh nostalgia!
    Regards Janine
    PS. Do admire the tea cozy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Janine. Yes, I will remember that journey always. And you are right, Nostalgia is powerful!

      Delete
  6. Los cojines y las cortinas quedan perfectos para el estilo años 60 que querías darle al ático. Y el cubreteteras tiene un aspecto perfecto, me encanta el bordado en azul...Aquí también está haciendo mucho frio...¡quiero que llegue pronto la primavera! Un beso

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Maria! I am glad you like them. I think they are the perfect mood for the attic! The snow is Slooooowly melting... but we keep getting more! :(

      Delete
  7. I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. Our house has several choice Words for cancer and what we'd like to do to it.

    Your post is sweet and I love your flowered curtains and cushions. Cheerful and colorful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sheila. I am loving the mood these cushions and curtains create. They really are perfect for this room!

      Delete
  8. Truly a lovely post. Makes me all nostalgic, too. And a sweet little attic room - I've lived in attics many times, three of my four years at Putney, for instance, and you could say the north room at the farm was an attic. The bright pillows and lovely curtains make it so homey. Record warm out here, to balance your cold - stay cozy.
    Love, Mo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Siento mucho esa marcha de su amiga y me alegra que sepa como resolver ese problema con aceptación.
    Sus trabajos han quedado muy bonitos, su amiga le ha iluminado.
    Un abrazo
    Maite

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Maite! I am loving how they look, and they will always remind me of this day.

      Delete
  10. What began as a lonely journey up the mountain to bid goodbye to your friend, became an opportunity for you to remember her by doing something creative to commemorate her when you returned home. No doubt you will think of her every time you look at your cheery cushions and the curtains .
    A Lovely post Betsy, and so is your petit point work- Your wide range of Skills never ceases to Amaze me. ♥

    elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Elizabeth! Yes, the feelings of that Journey will be caught forever in those cushions... and The curtains blowing gently in the breeze of the window will always make me think of her! I hope to make more progress on the needlepoint soon... it takes time!

      Delete
  11. Sorry for the loss of your friend she is at peace now. Your cushions and curtains are so cheerful and very hippish :D Your tea cozy is gorgeous.
    Hugs Maria

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Maria! I am loving the mood of these curtains! They are so wonderfully carefree!

      Delete
  12. So sad about your friend. It always hurts to part with a beloved friend.
    I love the cushions and curtains and most of all I love the tea cozy which if my favorite color and does look oriental. Lovely piece of stitching!
    Hugs, Drora

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Drora! It is hard to say "good-bye". But the memories will stay, and the curtains are so cheerful, it will always make me smile. I hope to complete the stitching soon too! I am glad you like it!

      Delete
  13. Sorry to hear about your friend.
    The little cushions and curtains do add a lot of cheer to the attic space. The tea-cosy is beautiful - it will be gorgeous when it is finished. Great work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sam! The curtains especially add so much cheer to this room! I am really happy with them!

      Delete
  14. your additions to the attic are lovely; the window trimming, the cushions and curtains. Your teacosy is amazing!.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Tessa! I am slowly learning how to do the needlepoint! Every new project has its own challenges! I hope it looks good when it is done, I see a few places where I didn't run the threads quite right...!

      Delete
  15. I am very sorry to hear the reason why you're feeling the Blues... But it's great to see the result of your other Blues - the dealing with this lovely blue fabric that could have found no better use. The cushions and the curtains look wonderful in this room giving it a big touch of character and atmosphere. And I am in awe with your stitching speed... this will become a beautiful tea cozy, no doubt about it. I guess it will warm a pot of heavenly good tea somewhere up in the clouds.

    Hugs
    Birgit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Birgit! :)
      I am sure the Clouds is the only place for this Heavenly Tea Cosy! I think all the tea served up there will taste Heavenly too! LOL! And I am so happy with the results of the curtains and the cushions.... and to think that I had not even given One thought to using this fabric in that attic room!!! It is amazing how inspiration works sometimes!

      Delete
  16. I'm so sorry for your loss.
    The cushions are very cheerful and the tea cosy looks wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Fabiola! I just Love how the cheerful curtains have given this attic all its character! It makes such a happy space! :)

      Delete
  17. bloğunuzu ziyaret ettim. çok güzel çalışmalar. benim bloğuma beklerim.

    ReplyDelete