I have found some lovely linen bargains at the op-shop and antique shop of late. One such find were a few touristy tea towels; the kind made of starchy linen and brightly printed with flora, fauna and tourist trail maps. One of the touristy tea towels I bought features a map of the area, in Far North Queensland, where I grew up and where my Mum still lives. As she has a birthday coming up very soon, I decided to make this tea towel into a cushion cover for her favourite patio chair.
A cushion cover made from a touristy tea towel.
I had to put "home" on the map first. Just one word, stitched in with red thread, but such a special word!
The touristy tea towel I turned into a cushion cover.
(Sorry, the photo is a bit blurry!)
"Home" is now on the map!
Once my stitching was done, I followed this really easy tutorial to transform this touristy tea towel into a little cushion cover. The trickiest part for me was putting the zip in. The last time I put a zip in, I was a teenager and my Mum helped me!! I am happy with how this turned out, it's secure and centred and I think the dark brown of the zip works well with the darker lines of the tea towel's pictures.
Sewing in the zip.
Finished and functional zipper!
Both sides of my touristy tea towel cushion are printed with images of home. There's bananas, sugarcane and pawpaws. Waterfalls and the Kuranda railway. The beautiful Cairns Birdwing Butterfly and a fishing boat. There is the somewhat controversial Captain James Cook statue in the corner too, some say his arm is raised to hold back the masses of tourists (who might buy souvenirs like a touristy tea towel) who visit tropical Cairns every year.
The back of the cushion cover.
A bit of a different birthday gift but one covered with pictures of the place where my Mum has lived her whole life. I hope she likes it!
Meg
Oh you are so clever Meg, this looks fabulous! You could pop a couple of them in Captain Cook's arms and flog them back to the tourists ha ha ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cheryl. I think my Mum will like it. Not sure that I'll branch out into the touristy tea towel cushion cover business, too hard to compete with other mass produced souvenirs;) Meg
DeleteFabulous! what a find, love the finished cushion, your mum will love it. Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteFi
Thanks, Fi. It was a very lucky find at the op-shop! Meg:)
DeleteWhat a great idea Meg, I'm sure you Mum will love it.
ReplyDeleteThe cushion turned out well Meg. Such a thoughtful gift for your mum :)
ReplyDeletexTania
Thanks, Tania. I'm happy with how it turned out. Meg:)
DeleteSuch a gorgeous and personal gift for your Mum, and so clever of you to sew in a zip Meg. She's going to treasure it for sure.
ReplyDeleteI think she will like it, Sally. The tutorial really helped me to get that zip in neatly. Meg:)
DeleteYour mum will love that gift, Meg. Such a good idea to use the tea towel. Some of them do soften but often they don't so you have put yours to good use.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good use of the touristy tea towel too, Chel. A cushion cover is a lot more practical than a tea towel that's too starchy to dry dishes with! Meg:)
DeleteLovely home made gift, your mum will love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marlene. I think my Mum will like it too. Meg:)
DeleteYour Mum will love it as it's such a personal gift.
ReplyDeleteIt was a really easy gift to make, Kathy. A little bit of handmade love! Meg:)
DeleteMeg, I didn't know you had a blog. I followed a link posted by Rhonda and found its you. :)
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to read all older posts. Oh boy more things to read. ( happy šš»)
I love the cushion cover. What a beautiful gift.
Hi, Nil. I started my blog after I did a little blogging course with Rhonda. She made it really easy! My Mum loved her special cushion. I have since made another for a friend which features a beautiful Australian lyrebirds. I love reading about your thrifty life on your blog and hope you find lots to enjoy reading here. Meg:)
Deletewhat a lovely idea - I love re-purposing old fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI love old fabrics and have a little collection now that I like to use for little srwing projects. I found the teatowel first and then went searching for ideas of what I could make with it for my mum. The tutorial for these cushion covers is really easy to follow. Meg:)
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