DIY Cushion Project

Hello everyone.

So today was my day off of work and I was feeling crafty so I decided to take an old top which unfortunately had a tea stain down the sleeve but a lovely pattern on it and make something out of it. Recently I've been trying to find/make things to spice up my room a little and so this was the perfect project for me and I thought it may interest you guys too. The good news is that it's SUPER easy and doesn't require a load of materials to make. So here is a 3-step on how to make your own upcycled cushion.

What you will need:

♥ A cushion
♥ An old top or material.
♥ A pen
♥ Scissors
♥ Pins
♥ Needle and thread (the thread should be the same colour as your material so that it blends in)
♥ Measuring tape or ruler
♥ Buttons

Let's get started!

Step 1

Turn your shirt inside-out and mark down the measurements of your cushion onto the shirt- including an extra 1/2 inch for hemming- and cut off the excess material.

Step 2

Hem your cushion case by folding both edges of your shirt inwards 1/2 and inch and then put both hemmed edges together. Pin your hem and sew sew sew. The smaller the stitches the neater it will look. 

Step 3

Lay your buttons along the inside edge of one of the sides of your shirt before pinning and sewing them on. Then make a mark directly above each button on the opposite inside edge of your shirt and cut little holes for the buttons to go through. All that is left is to put the cushion into your case and button it up and there you go! You've made your beautiful little cushion.

I really enjoyed this mini DIY project and I'm very proud of my little cushion. I would love to do more posts like this in the future if it's something you would like to see - make sure to let me know in the comments! I'd also love to see your creations if you try this out so make sure to tweet me a photo-link. Until next time,

Mollie ♥

A Lovely Day

Hello everyone.

I know I usually try to post on a Wednesday but I feel there can be a cheeky bonus post today.

As I mentioned in my previous post, today was the day of Fiona Doubleday’s Studio Opening/tea party in aid of The Butterfly Tree Charity which I was asked to attend and film. (You can read her post about the day HERE.) And what a wonderful day it has been!

It began with painting a butterfly for the tea party’s raffle before me and my mum headed up to Fiona’s at one o’clock so that I could begin filming before everyone arrived.  As we entered her house the hard-work put into the event became evident as we looked around the beautiful arrangements of butterfly goodies, gifts from local shops and crafters that were attractively organised in Fiona’s living room, an array of cakes and scones and of course the wonderfully decorated studio.

 My painting for the raffle

                                                       Fiona's display of butterfly products

Products from crafters and local shops

As Fiona, her husband and two of her sons finished preparations I began by filming some scenes in and around the studio before the ribbon was tied across the doors to be later cut.

Two o’clock arrived and people soon began to flutter in and were all very impressed with the studio and transformed living room. Around 31 people arrived and with tea and cakes in our tummies, pennies spent on butterfly merchandise (all proceeds going to The Butterfly Tree Charity) and crafters’ products, we settled down for Fiona’s inspiring introduction to the event as she talked about all the work put into the day and her exciting future plans to help The Butterfly Tree. We all then went out to the studio for the grand opening where Fiona’s husband Peter read a touching story of the origin of their studio followed by a speech and cutting of the studio’s ribbon by a friend of Fiona and her family, Lynn Ross.

Yummy cakes made by Fiona's son

People beginning to arrive

 The studio with its ribbon

With the sun beginning to shine on the much loved studio everyone had a peek inside before returning to the living room for a raffle and another look around some of the merchandise.

Before long, Fiona’s hand-made butterflies had all found new loving homes along with many of the other items available and the profit of these sales combined with the selling of the raffle tickets totaled up to an amazing £200 meaning that this one day will provide the money for 40 mosquito nets for the people in Zambia meaning 40 lives have potentially been saved in a few hours of fun, laughter and donation. 40 mosquito nets. 40 lives. This is truly amazing.

 Fiona's mum sorting raffle tickets

Fiona's handmade butterflies

As people began home with high spirits and some lovely purchases, I recorded 

some of the final footage for the film of the day. I can’t wait to begin editing and hope it captures the enthusiasm and joy of all who attended this lovely day. It will be featured on Fiona's blog once it is finished and I'll upload a link when it's there.

A child dies every 40 seconds from malaria. But today, thanks to Fiona, her family and everyone who attended her event, 40 lives have been potentially saved by the money raised for mosquito nets.

If you have been as inspired as I have by Fiona’s event please visit The Butterfly Tree website and if you can please make a donation.

I hope you too had a lovely day.

Mollie

♥