Noughts and Crosses Progress at Last!

 Here's the Christmas cushion I started a couple of weeks ago - it's almost done! I need to go and buy a zip for the cushion back then I can pop it onto a cushion pad and my first Christmas projeect of the year will be complete. This pattern was demonstrated at the Bernina Club at MKC Services in Leeds  by Glenys and I love it! It's a Jenny Rayment design which was published in Sewing World Magazine a couple of years ago. I was debating whether to quilt it but really I don't think it needs it and as there are 2-3 layers of fabric in the blocks it would be quite tough to do. Here's a close up:

The crosses are really simply sewn by folding and stitching  diagonal pleats then adding traingle of coloured fabric which tuck under the folds. I love the little folded square in the centre of these. The noughts are a clever variation of cathedral windows with bias edges of the patterned fabrics folded back.

The stitching was all done by machine apart from a few tiny hand stitches. I used Superior Threads invisible thread ( with fine cotton in the bobbin) and an adjusted blind hem stitch on my machine. I found loosening the top tension made sewing with this thread much smoother.

Jenny Rayment has written several books on folding and pleating and I'm told she's a very entertaining speaker and runs excellent workshops. She also has an online subscription site with lots of videos to watch called Just Hands On TV.

Happy Stitching!

Hazel x