It’s no good showing presents I’ve been making for this Christmas as that would spoil the hoped for surprise from the recipients. It is also true that the presents aren’t anywhere near being finished and at least one has yet to be started – a situation which belies the vision I have of myself as a short term pessimist and long term optimist. In present making I obviously  see myself as a short term optimist – how encouraging.

Stag cushion

I made this cushion for my son-in-law last Christmas because, like most of the rest of the world, he and my daughter had become very taken with stags. A cushion for a man might not be quite the right present but somehow with a stag on it makes it more acceptable – I think.

I don’t know why the picture of the cushion on the sofa makes the fabric look like silk moiré, because it doesn’t look like that in iPhoto. In fact the background is john Lewis Appleby linen union. John Lewis have stocked this for years and the mix (55%linen/45% cotton – I think that was the proportion) was very durable and useful for all sorts of purposes. About 5 years ago, the composition of Appleby changed and now it is 49% linen/38% cotton/13% nylon. The label says ‘Dry  Clean Only’ in that unhelpful way that labels do, and I think that it because the fabric will shrink when washed. Experiment showed 100 inches length will be reduced by about 16 inches on a hot wash. I always wash fabric first and if you don’t cut it out until after, there should be no real problem. Dry Cleaning labels really irritate me as I’m sure they are in place because manufacturers think we can’t cope with more detailed washing instructions. I hate the thought of a cushion cover or a blind or a curtain that you can’t wash. Well grumbling aside, the stag is made of pure wool felt, stuck with Bondaweb and then appliquéd on to the backing with button hole stitch in embroidery cotton. As I felt a bit more contrast was needed, I outlined the whole thing in a darker embroidery cotton in stem stitch. The backing is ordinary ticking in standard black and white with a flap like a pillowcase. No buttons, no zip.