Mother's Day Cat Cross-Stitch Cushion

This is a project I finished for a present to give to my mum on Mother's Day this year.

The cross-stitch was a counted kit from the Hertitage Crafts Cats Rule series which I received as a gift. My mum and I both love cats but the style was perhaps more to her taste than mine. I made it into a simple envelope-back cushion using some fat quarters I had, and decided to make a 'frame' using bias tape.

There were surprisingly few tutorials online about attaching finished cross-stitch to a sewn object. I couldn't find one I liked so I made this up as I went along. In this instance I let the fabric show through the aida slightly as I liked how it echoed the wallpaper pattern, but otherwise I would have backed it with some plain white cotton, or interfacing depending on what I was making.

The cushion was very simple to put together but the cross-stitch took ages! The chair had so many different shades of red and pink, and the swirly pattern was a pain in my ass. I am really pleased with the result though. My outlining is wonky, the bias isn't mitred properly but Mum loved it and that's what matters!

Mum is a crafter too. An extremely talented knitter and paper crafter, she made me this fabulous sign for my sewing room for a birthday gift.

Early this year I spent a weekend totally redesigning Mum's crafting room for her. She was thrilled with the result and it has made me want to spruce up my own! I have to share it with a Star Trek collection and the washing, but I want to reorganise it so I'm not traipsing up and down the stairs to find room to measure, cut and press. This will be a Summer project as at the moment I have a lot of other things to do! In the meantime I'm Pinteresting up a storm :)