...in the next few posts, I thought I would focus on the pile of cushions below, zooming in on each one at a time so you can get a closer look at the details...
In today's post, it's all about the top one in the pile above and the first one in the row below which is made from a very vintage floral and a lovely woven woolly.
I bought yardage of the vintage floral on Ebay, definitely several years ago as it's been a while since I've bought any fabric on Ebay; I did go through a phase of buying lots of vintage fabric on Ebay, but I eventually had to stop myself because it was just too easy and tempting, therefore becoming a bit of a drain on the budget! I do remember being thrilled when I spotted this bit of yardage and even more so when my bid won because it looked so lovely. I wasn't disappointed when I received it as it is even lovelier in person; it has a nice weight to it, probably meant for drapery, beautiful vibrant colours and a distinct texture as you can see in the photos below. Of course, the floral pattern is striking and speaks for itself...
The fabric also has a lustrous quality to it which made me wonder what it is made of. I decided to try to identify its content with a burn test and, based on how it burned, I think it is a cotton fabric made with mercerized cotton which gives it its sheen.
The backing fabric, I bought recently at a small local fabric shop that has somewhat of an eclectic selection of fabric, but always seems to have a good stock of wool and wool blend fabric. I actually don't remember whether this particular fabric is a 100% wool or a wool blend and when I went back to the shop recently, they no longer had any of it in stock; whatever the case may be, I think there is a solid wool content in it.
I was particularly drawn to this fabric because it reminds me of the back of a knitted garment done in a purl stitch. I also find that the little multicolour specks which dot the fabric all over (and which I hope you can see in some of the photos) are absolutely irresistible! You can't see these if you don't look at the fabric close up or if there's not enough light, but when you do see them, it's a delightful surprise; I'm such a fan of such sweet little details which, while not immediately apparent, bring a smile to one's face as soon as they are spotted. What makes these sprinkles of colour especially appealing is that they offer a nice contrast to the subdued colours of the weave, off-white and mauve; the shop clerk who cut the fabric for me said that it's as if a bag of Skittles was sprinkled all over the fabric!
As with all my cuffed cushions, the cuff at the back is finished with crocheted ribbing, inspired by thoughts of comfy, well-worn sweaters and socks. I have to admit that the process of choosing yarn for the ribbing, while a lot of fun, can be tricky. As usual, I'm aiming for a look that's not "matchy-matchy", but where all the parts which make it up blend well and bring each other out without one dominating over all the others. With this in mind, I think that finding suitable yarn for the ribbing is crucial to the success of this look, because if the choice of yarn is too bold with respect to the rest of the cushion and draws the eye too quickly to the ribbed band, the band appears to stick out too much and looks as if detached from the cushion as a whole.
After playing around with a few different yarn choices, I opted for a lovely wool in a shade of stone grey which I think harmonizes well with the off-white in the woolly backing and the creamy background colour of the vintage floral, without being a perfect match to either. As far as a choice to edge the ribbing with, I immediately gravitated towards a soft tweedy yarn in shades of greens and turquoise; in my eyes, it is bold enough to make the ribbed band stand out just the right amount as its mixed colouring blend well with the blues and greens of the cushion front. I also think that its tweediness, enhanced by it being a rather eclectic mix of llama, wool and silk, looks lovely against the rustic look of the woolly backing with its little nubs of colour. And now, for my favourite part of the cushion, have a look inside...
...and you'll find the hidden detail or the lining of the cuff made from a sweet bit of floral vintage sheeting...
To see how this lining works with the outside of the cushion, front and back, I though it would be best to show you the two photos below next to each other; what do you think?...
I included the photo below because you can see some of the colourful specks in the backing fabric, blue and green ones at that! Can you spot them?
I think the next cuffed cushion I'll feature is the one with the blowsy pink flowers; this should be my next post unless I get distracted by something else in the meantime!...
I hope you've enjoyed this little peek at a cuffed cushion and I do hope you come by again... Thanks for the visit!
