Granny's Flower Patch

I have been enjoying the peace and quiet around these parts this week since my Little People and the Big Man went back to school/work. It's been quite delicious to walk back into a warm, quiet house after enduring the school run (which this week has been bitingly cold, with 3 inches of snow today too). I am appreciating my own quiet time very much after the noise and chaos that always descends on this house during school holidays. I am still not well :: I am very much better than I was last week been but my head still hurts a lot of the time, so the peace and quiet has been very welcome the past few days.

Yesterday afternoon I sat and quietly worked away on my Flower Patch cushion cover. This little project has taken a surprising amount of work, and now it's finally finished I have to say I am really rather pleased with it.

I've shown you some glimpses of it during the past month (see here, here and here), and am really excited to be giving this project it's Ta-dah moment today.

I had been pondering this design in my mind for a while, ever since I caught sight of an image on Hen's blog where she had placed a flower in the centre of one of her squares. Now I knew there was bound to be a pattern somewhere for making flowery granny squares, but to be honest, I was looking for an easy, low-concentration project that I could do without having to use too many brain cells. I figured I could simply make easy-peasy basic squares and easy-peasy little flowers and stitch the two together. Nothing complicated :: an easy crochet ride. And funnily enough, since starting my flower patch squares, I discovered Julia was also doing it, inspired by a pattern on the Rosehip blog. So there you have it, flower patches seem to be the way to go.

It was odd making the squares in those colours, it really felt strange to be using such a limited colour pallette. Yet I could see it all in my mind, could visualise how the colours would work and I knew that once the flowers went on, it would undergo a total transformation. And I was right, look......

....I love the way these cool colours suddenly ping into life when the flowers bloom across them, it's quite magical.

These are the squares once they've been joined together, it's in it's "blocking" stage in the above photo. I was too impatient to block each square individually, but really needed to block out the finished thing as it was very wobbly once I'd finished the joining. Blocking really does alter the feel and appearance of crochet (especially granny squares), it's quite amazing what a difference it makes and is definitely worth the effort (see here).

I like to join Granny squares by crocheting them together rather than stitching them. I do it with the right sides together so that the ridge of chain stitches ends up on the back, as in above photo.

Incidentally, I've been asked a number of times if I'd do a tutorial for making granny squares, and for the joining method, so of course I'm happy to oblige just as soon as I feel a bit better in the head department. Its amazing how snot-in-the-head can make one feel so sort of disconnected. I do feel most odd at the moment.

 

Over the weekend I was still feeling quite poorly, and in fact spent much of it in my pyjamas on the sofa. I was not able to concentrate for long periods, but did manage some sporadic sewing-of-flowers when I felt able. We had the fire lit and it was very warm and cosy being able to sit and sew and be quite still for long periods.

Of course it may have been warm and cosy, but it most certainly was not peaceful in our house whilst I was carrying out my Still Ill stuff on the sofa. The Little People were playing games all around me  :: Polly Pockets (with pets) for LL and a remote control helicopter for LM. At times it was down right rowdy, but hey-ho, that's family life eh. Quiet please, Mummy is Still Ill. What? Be quiet?? But we have games to play, games that most definitely involve a  huge amount of shouting and leaping about!

 

I did eventually finish the sewing of the flowers in between Polly Pocket parties and Helicopter crashes, and Granny's Patch finally came into full bloom.

It became everything I had imagined. And I can't tell you how magical that is, to see something come out of my imagination and materialise into reality.

Do you remember when I made my last cushion, using an old cotton jumper to make the backing? Well I still had the other sleeve and the back of the jumper left so that I could make a matching back for the granny patch cushion. I constructed it in exactly the same way, and I really enjoyed using those buttons again. That tin, those colours :: so brimful of buttony goodness! So joyful!

And now, at last Ta-Dah!!!!!

Granny's Flower Patch cushion is finished.

There is now rather a lot of colourful crochet invading our living room. And it's a good job we have two sofas and a chair to contain it all in.

Yes, we do enjoy a daily hooky homespun colour fest in the Attic24 house :: I can't imagine this room being any other way.

Comments

[Beata]

Your cushion is so very, very yummy (looking at it motivates me to finish the ones I started...) -- Your blog has been such a sweet discovery!

Beata xxx

(Thanks for the blog-linking!)

[Louise]

Wow love the cushion. I sooooo wish that i could crochet x

[driftwood]

it's just lovely Lucy, and I hope that resting your poor head on it will make it better very soon. xxxxx

[Janette]

hi,

I love your cushion it's gorgous. I've mastered the crocheting of flowers and find it so soothing to do. I would love to follow a granny square pattern and have a go myself but if not maybe you'll get your etsy shop up and running and perhaps put some chrocheted things in it?? In the meantime I really must get the penny rug done so that I can move onto the other things I want to do .... so many ideas so little time. Hope you are feeling back to normal soon.

Jx

[jeane]

please, allow me to call u "sifu" .....

all gorgeous masterpiece, im speechless day by day... "wow wow wOWW WAHHHHHHHHHH so beautiful"

thanks for bringing great ideas and colors to our daily life, i think all of us here appreciate it very very much. i will workhard to follow ur crochet masterpiece, all those tutorials, hopefully one day i will be able to show u the results. u deserves all the credits.
take care

[Shirl]

Absolutely beautiful, makes your living room look very inviting. Hope you feel better soon! ... :0)

[attila]

Oh, how lovely! I've just finished a ripple blanket yesterday; it went on our bed last night, as we really needed an extra layer, but thats just an excuse! I would have had to have it there anyway. I tried your hexagons a few weeks ago but had trouble on the second round (I'm a bit dense sometimes). I mulled it over and thought; "I'll just do a two treble cluster and see if it works" and it did! I think that's the UK term for "bobble". So now there's a hexagon blanket on the go! It's a really fun pattern, enough variety to keep you interested but repetitive enough for watching tv at the same time, once you get going. Thanks for more lovely inspiration today.

[Kar]

Love how that turned out! I think I'm going to stop the project I'm working on just to get started on a bunch of squares or even hexagons for a blanket. Thanks for "twisting" my arm to get started on it. :)

[manuela]

W O N D E R F U L L ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Great start of 2009
Manuela

[Marisa]

Well i can't say that i am suprised at your wonderful cushion, hook + wool = Lucy and her creations. Always am impressed by what you make, hope hubby and little one's appreciate what a talented wife/mum that they have.

[cathleen]

W O W!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my favorite colorful creation of yours to date. I want to make one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eleanor in Alaska]

De-lurking here to say "Fabulous job all the way around!" Love your blog, love your crochet, love your photos, love your recipes, LOVE YOU! I've started at the beginning and am now in mid-August, what will I do when I get caught up with myself? Thank you so much for the inspiration, one of these days I'll set up a flickr account to show you the things you've inspired me to hook in the last 2 weeks since I discovered Attic24, now my favorite place on the web :-)

[Jenny]

I loved seeing the step by step way you created your wonderful cushion and the final pictures are just so stunning-it worked out beautifully and looks lovely in your warm cosy home. No open fire here in Oz-we are enjoying our summer so the crochet hook is away at the moment but you have inspired me to get going again even though it id hot here. You have a special blog.

[Andrea]

Lucy, espero puedas traducir, no sé inglés pero igual quería dejarte algunas palabras de felicitaciones en tu blog. Lo miro todo los días, tus trabajos son espectaculares, una fuente de inspiración. Combinás muy bien los colores, creo que eso es el secreto. Se nota que le ponés mucho amor a todo lo que hacés. El almohadón te quedó precioso, tal vez algún día te copie la idea. Un gran abrazo desde Argentina. Andrea.

[Kelly]

I LOVE this cushion! Your blog is such an inspiration and the colors you use just lift my spirits!

[Rachel]

What a beautiful cushion. Gee, I wish I could crochet. I've had three master crocheters try to teach me, but it just won't stick in my brain. sigh. Oh well, I have enough hobbies anyway.

Check out my Pay if Forward giveaway!

[Lara (thornberry)]

I am absolutely in love with that cushion - in fact, I am in love with every single item that you crochet. You really are a crochet goddess - your choice of colours is just so beautiful. I only found your blog a couple of months ago and enjoy it thoroughly. Thanks so much for sharing.

[christine]

Lucy your cushion is beautiful love your choice of colour.

[heleen]

They look just Fabulous!!!!! Love the colours and the one with the flowers is yummie!

[ines]

Lucy, I came across your blog recently and it "blew my mind". I love your explosion of colours and your works are masterpieces. I enjoyed stolling down with you on your walk and was thoroughly entertained by your "twist of phrase". Thank you ...I will be visiting again. Hope you are feeling much better.
Ines

[monkee maker]

Hi, I popped over from Tracy's after seeing the lovely houses she won in your giveaway, and I am stunned by the gorgeousness of your blog!

You make me want to pick up a hook and start crocheting immediately - although I won't do that as sadly I only have heaps of acrylic to hand, but I see a trip to Hobbycraft coming on!

Thank you for brightening this cold cold morning with such warm and colourful photos - your cushion is delicious!!

:)

ps. If you notice your stats going up, that'll be me scrolling through your archives and being late for work ....

[Maddy]

Lucy you really do have a way with colour and your crocheting is fantastic. I love them.

[SparklyGreenKnickers]

I just found your blog via '1/4 of an Inch', and I'm so glad I did! I love your colourful granny's flower patch cushion.

[Cele]

Lovely, the flowers are beautiful against the muted greens. Very pretty.
Happy New Year.

[Joy]

I am so inspired by your crochet that I have put a post on my blog linking to your blog, hope this is okay with you, I have also added you to my blog roll.
best wishes
Joy