Well hello there.. Thanks for sticking around! I don’t know how this happened.. one thing led to another and all of the sudden almost two months have gone by and my poor baby.. my poor sweet “Stitch in Between” has been neglected and unloved and uncared for. So I have a confession…
Hello, my name is Alisa and I just had a super long sewing block. I found myself spending precious free time just sitting in my sewing space, staring at my machine and absolutely unable to make another stitch or trace a single pattern. Every “inspiration” I looked at made me feel worse about my own inability to sew and my own criticism overwhelmed any desire to make something beautiful or useful. Is it possible to have a hobby depression? Where it only affects one area of your life and nothing else? I felt like the longer I spent feeling discouraged about picking up my tools, the harder it became to start a project. This lasted for more than a month! Finally I’ve had enough and I tried to silence the not-so-quiet voice in my head screaming “if it won’t be amazing why even bother starting”. Clearly I wasn’t going to sew a perfect recreation of a Victorian Dress or whip up an award winning quilt but I had to do something! So I pulled out my WIPs and the Bus Cushion came to life!
A few months ago Janeen of Quilt Art Designs had requested testers for her new paper piecing block that is a part of the transportation series. Janeen makes jaw dropping paper piecing blocks and I’m a sucker for anything transportation related 🙂 Hmm except I have never ever done any paper piecing and had no idea what to do or how it works. Janeen was so kind to answer my questions without any (visible) snickering, but I still had to watch youtube videos and read tutorials to figure out where does one even start. (Note to future self: finished block is always a mirror image of the pattern, that’s how it’s supposed to be and doesn’t mean that you horribly screwed up somewhere along the way)
I love love love the result! It was so cool watching it come together, so I will definitely be trying out more paper piecing in the future.
I did a simple envelope case on this cushion, as I didn’t want to deal with a zipper, and the pillow insert I used was a perfect size for a fat quarter I have been hoarding.
The cushion was very well received and now rests in the spot of honor in Nic’s race car bed. My son likes cars, can you tell? 🙂
Have you ever tried paper piecing? Or experienced a sewing block?
Linking up with Blossom Heart Quilts’ Sew Cute Tuesday 🙂
Of course something as awesome as this bus cushion belongs in the spot of honor! It is simply fabulous!
You are just the best Jenya!
Your pillow turned out wonderful! Good on you! I also get sewing block sometimes – could even last up to about a month where I just dont want to anymore. I think its normal so when I feel like it again I start off with something that I know will come together nicely.
Thanks for helping me….. just let me know when you are itching to get another done….
Janeen
janeenvn@gmail.com
I really want to do some more of your patterns, especially some more transportations ones as it's such a fun way to add decoration to my son's room and he loves the bus 🙂
Thanks for the sewing block reassurance, I seems to snap out of it best when I'm avoiding other responsibilities such as packing O_o
I love anything transport related too and I adore your cushion! The fussy cuts in the windows are perfect!!
-Soma 🙂
Thank you Soma!! Fussy cuts are such a fun way to add elements to paper piecing (says me as a clear expert after doing ONE paper pieced block)!
I have never tried paper piecing. I work full-time and have enough trouble finding time just to quilt the old-fashioned way (!) so I've not branched into paper piecing. I do find the results just amazing though. Great job on the pillow! I don't usually have a block simply because I generally have more fabric (eek) than time!
I have never tried paper piecing and it is on my wish list to try. Your finished pillow looks AMAZING!!
Oh and I have regular periods of not wanting to do anything, have no inspiration or desires to do anything. Sometimes I just walk away and do something else and other times I just start as I often get caught up in the moment after I just get going!!