The Forget-Me-Not Cushion

So this is all about a project that has been 47 years in the making - a joint effort between my mother and myself.  

Sadly my mother passed away just under 2 years ago and I've slowly being going through some of her things, trying to allocate them the most appropriate home, rather than getting rid of anything without due thought.

Tucked away, in the bottom of a cupboard, was this very old copy of Woman's Realm from July 1968 (that hairstyle would look pretty good on the beach today!)

and inside was this knitting pattern

My mother had managed to complete 2 very large rectangles of black knitting

And that is as far as she had got.  I can't think of anything worse than knitting something in plain black stitches, with fine black wool on a large scale - I'm not surprised she gave up!  I'll knit occasionally but its because I like colour and texture and this does not tick any of those boxes!  It seemed a shame to leave it unfinished after all this time though, and so in honour of my mum I decided to felt it into a cushion 

The first stage was washing it "incorrectly" in the washing machine (that is, a very hot wash with lots of agitation) to felt it up.

Because of the heavy black background, I wanted to give it an Art Deco look and used this book for inspiration 

Given to me by my father, it tells the story of the pottery designer Susie Cooper who produced some beautiful Art Deco ceramics in her time - lots of bold use of colour and design.  I particularly like her floral designs which make a statement without being "over fussy".   Another link to this cushion as I share the same birthplace as Susie Cooper and she, along with myself and my father, all went to the same school of art (although obviously not at the same time!).

So, with Susie Cooper, my parents, and forget-me-nots all as inspiration, my Forget-Me-Not Cushion was made.  I even used 2 pale yellow buttons (again, which belonged to my mother) to complete the fastening at the back.

I'm sharing this post with Planet Penny's Happy Friday and popping over there now to see what everyone else has been up to ...