Finished Fridays

I thought it best to wait until after Mothering Sunday to post up my finished project of the week. Firstly because I hadn't finished stitching the card until saturday and secondly I decided to make my mum a present so could put the two on here together.

First up is the card. I wrote about it on a previous Work in Progress post as a card I started last year but didn't get finished in time so was determined for it to be finished in time for me to give it to her this year. I almost didn't have it finished as I managed to loose my box with all my embroidery threads somewhere in the house so had no black to put the outlines in. And without the black it just looked like blobs of colour rather than actual objects!

Below is a close up of the stitched design. It is from a chart in CrossStitcher magazine from a year or so ago. I chose this one as it wasn't too soppy or too girly (both of which are things my mum doesn't like!) and I'm also a bit obsessed with bunting so I liked that it had that in.

And here it is mounted onto the finished card. I was going to stamp a border round and put some wording on the front but changed my mind as less is more!

Mum really like it and even suggested that she was going to cut it out with a yellow border and put it in a frame in her office (when she gets round to decorating it!) which is great and gives me another idea for a present for her!

I decided about lunchtime on saturday (nice and organised) after I had checked my bank balance, that I would make mum a present as I couldn't afford to buy her anything. I racked my brain to try and think of something that she wanted/needed that I could make for her. I though of a bag or a cushion cover but then had a brainwave...

A few years ago we had the kitchen redesigned to put in a disabled bathroom downstairs for my dad who has MS and with the redesign there were some shelves put in. Mum wasn't here when the shelves were put up and regrets it as neither of the shelves are big enough to hold A4 cookbooks standing up and they aren't even both the same height (it is a sore point that you NEVER mention!) So anyway as they are a random height no storage boxes will fit in so I thought I would just make her a box that was exactly the right size for the shelves and if she like it I could make her a whole set.

I read a couple of tutorials online about how to make them and then just chose my fabric and made it up as I went along. Below is the (almost) finished item:

The colour scheme of the kitchen is red and luckily I had this red fabric in my stash already from previous projects so didn't have to spend a penny. I used cardborad to make the box stiff enough to stand but haven't stitched the lining in yet incase I think of another way I can make the box sturdy instead of cardboard as I'm worried it will bend.

I really like the mix of gingham and stripes- definitely a combination I will do again.

The box fits perfectly on the shelf and mum is now busy deciding what to store in it, I may be making several more of these in the coming months!

I hope you all have a good week!

Xxx