NFSAL 2019 - February

Welcome to the second NFSAL of 2019! This month not only did my friends Carla and Gayle stitch it but I did too. I'd challenged them to a stitch off, however as they haven't finished stitching theirs yet we will have to wait to see who won it!

Of course I pulled the stops out and didn't just stitch mine once but I stitched it 4 times - each one slightly different. I used Jodyri Designs December Limited Edition Fabric "Carnelian Quartz" 18ct Aida for all of them.

From left to right I used:

• DMC C816 + DMC C321 with TOHO TR-11-5C Transparent Ruby seedbeads
• DMC C816 + DMC C321 with TOHO TR-11-5C Transparent Ruby seedbeads
• DMC Colour Variations 4516 worked in circles from the outside in with TOHO TR-11-165F Trans-Rainbow Frosted Ruby Hyacinth seedbeads
• DMC Colour Variations 4516 worked in circles but doing each section before moving on to the next with TOHO TR-11-165F Trans-Rainbow Frosted Ruby Hyacinth, TOHO TR-11-41 Opaque White, and some unknown brown seedbeads

As you can see how you use the colours can make them look very different!

Once they were stitched they sat on my desk for a while as I didn't really know what to do with them.  I fiddled a bit with them and realised that there was a way to use them all in one go... so that's what I did!

• First I stitched them into a square using the backstitched lines to whip stitch them together.
• Then I bent the corners of the square into the centre and stitched the sides that touched together adding a tassel into the corners as I worked.
• Before closing the last seam I stuffed it as full as I would stuff a biscornu.
• Then I used two bicone beads to hide the central seams (which were admittedly not perfectly straight on one side) and pull the centres together.

The pattern itself is 26 stitches square and my little cushion is 2" square excluding the tassels.

You can find the pattern here

Have fun stitching and I'll see you tomorrow for the February 50 x 50 in 2019 post!