Improv EPP

I bet you didn't know you could do Improv EPP, did you? Well it turns out you can!

Yes I know it is another cushion, but this one is for me, and it's also my first FAL finish this year.

This project started more than a year ago now as a project to show off the lovely Chicopee fabric that had just been delivered at the shop. I worked out a design and started sewing. But I got this far (above) and it just wasn't working for me. So I made a Cathedral Window cushion instead and put the EPP aside.

But I don't like leaving things unfinished (I'm a good girl really), and this EPP hung around the sewing room, staring at me and sighing a lot.
Meanwhile I had been working on another project using Chicopee charm packs. These had the whole range in, lots more colours and designs than I had originally ordered. And luckily there were some scraps left over.
So I just went random. I had those 3 original shapes (hexy, half hexy and diamond) and I added one more by cutting some diamond papers in half. And I just started adding on bits and pieces and more patterns emerged. I was having fun so I kept going!

A few weeks later I had made it big enough to make into a 20" cushion. And the best thing is that I liked it now! And how nice does it look with my Rustic Granny Square Blanket?!

But, of course, it needed some hand quilting with perles. And again I felt like going 'off piste' a little.
I have been getting very in to my FMQ patterns recently and I wondered how these would look as hand quilting.

I drew the design on to the cushion cover with a Pilot Frixion pen, scaling it up a little, and used a pink variegated perle cotton number 8 to quilt. I'm really loving the way it turned out and would love to try it on a whole quilt one day.
Unfortunately I have been suffering with tendonitis in my left wrist and though I originally thought it was the knitting that caused it, I now think it could be hand quilting too, since recovery has taken a bit of a backwards step since I finished this. So a whole quilt may have to be a very long term project!

Here is the back. I used some old furnishing fabric and my original button loops, they ended up much higher than usual this time. Also I have included a bound edge, a first for me, and largely due to this great tutorial on Amy Ellis's blog the other day.

So I am going to have to slow down my crafting a bit and try to knock this tendonitis on the head. I have tried lots of different solutions and have it strapped up most of the time (I've even ordered some special 'crafters' gloves!) but I have come to the conclusion that I need to actually rest it *sigh*.

The next post will be more about this year's Stitch Gathering, but if I go a bit quiet after that then you will know why :(

Update: This is my one and only finish in this quarter FAL - I feel a little shame faced but am linking-up anyway and this is the post with the original list Katy ;)
I will try again for a better result next quarter!