Funky Upcycled Jersey Cushion...

An old jersey upcycle...

into cushion cover!

Don't you love those gorgeous Aran jerseys?

I found this one at the Goodwill shop.

Looking a bit sad - as it was a little grubby, and very out of shape, it's jersey days long past.

 But once washed and clean again, you can see its gorgeousness, so lovingly hand-knitted by someone.

but now it's time for a new life as a cushion cover.

 I unstitched the arms at the seam.

these pieces will be upcycled into boot toppers or leg warmers.
Then I turned the jersey inside out and placed the cushion inner inside.

Next job was to pin down each side and across the top (where the jersey neck is).

Remove the inner.

Overlock stitch by machine, pinned seams.

Then trim. 

Overlock the cut edge.

You will now have a double overlocked seam.

If you don't own an overlocker, zigzag stitch will suffice.

Stitch across bottom seam leaving an opening. 

 Turn pillow in the right way.

 Fold the cushion inner in half and pop through the hole.

Wiggle to fit into the casing.
Handstitch the hole shut.

Gorgeous!

Soft, fluffy with a little bit of funky texture. 

And only half an hour to make!

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#diy #cushion #upcycle 

Have you ever seen the flower of the vanilla bean?

If you have never seen the flower of the vanilla bean, this is it!

Beautiful, orchid like, and oh what a fabulous perfume...

The plant is vine like.

I snapped this variety of vanilla while visiting the island nation of Niue.

Distressed Stamped Décor Pots...

Distressed with white paint, and stamped with cute pictures,

these DIY décor pots, are fabulous for holding bits and bobs.

Or make some for gifts.

 You will need terracotta pots.

I used small sized ones.

All you do is dry brush the pots with white paint.

Dry brushing gives an instant distressed look.

 Use a back and forth motion to brush the paint on.
This brush is really soft and fluffy.

 You can see here that there is not a lot of paint on the brush.

Build up your layers of paint colour until it's to your liking.

Leave to dry.

 Stamping pots is a little bit tricky...

Choose an image that is not too large. Press stamp into black ink.

Make sure the stamp is evenly covered with the ink.

 Roll the stamp as you press it to the shape of the pot.

Practice on a bit of paper that you are holding onto the pot first if you haven't done this before. 

You roll the stamp from the side of the image to the middle and then to the other side while following the curve of the pot using a firm pressure.

Remember - You only get ONE chance to get it right!

 Let ink dry,

then seal pot with a clear coat spray sealer.

Just what I need in the art studio to hold all those bits and pieces.

And so very pretty too!

#distressed #diy #paintedpots #stamping