You will know me as a machine embroiderer, but I was a hand embroiderer first of all, it was 30 years ago! One of the interesting aspects of working with Aurifil is some of the monthly challenges push me out of my comfort zone. This month was a hand quilting project and I used the opportunity to use one of my embroidery design velvet panels.

The original embroidery was 5 x 5 inches and the print sees this enlarged to 17 x 17 inches, the perfect size for a cushion or wall hanging. The detail and texture of the original paint and stitch shows up really well on this scale.

I cut a 17 x 17 inch square each of soft cotton interlining and a medium weight muslin to make my “quilt sandwich”. I pinned them together starting in the centre and working my way out to the edges, then I was ready to start stitching. I used Aurifil 12 weight in the most beautiful fushia pink.

I decided to make it into a cushion and chose a dark grey velvet back panel and top stitched edges to make the design pop..

I had forgotten how soft and pliable hand quilted pieces are. As tempting as using my machine is for speed I did enjoy the therapeutic aspect of hand stitching and the feel of the completed panel.

If you want to make a similar cushion or panel take as look on my website https://www.alisonholt.com/cushions.php?link=menu there are 6 designs to choose from.