It took considerably longer than I’d hoped but last week I finally completed my Blooming Flower Cushion. The last month or so has been so busy with various weddings and hen parties that I didn’t have the time to pick up my hook and get going with it. Now, after finally finishing it I am really happy with the outcome and really like it.

I decided to have a go at making one after seeing photos of ones that other people had made and posted on Facebook. When it came to picking the colours, I knew I didn’t want anything too bright and after some deliberation decided to go for Pale Rose, Bluebell and Cream in Stylecraft Special DK.

I followed the pattern on Attic 24, which I found really clear and easy to follow, and the stitches used are DC, HTR and TR (UK terms).  Each ‘row’ of colour is essentially two rows of stitches; so you do one row of trebles and then in the next row you make the ‘petals’ using using a combination of DC, HTR and TR worked into the front loops of the row of trebles. Once you’ve completed a row of petals you then work another row of trebles into the back loop of the previous row of trebles, and then go on to do another row of petals into the front loops of the new row of trebles. Like I said, I found the pattern really easy to follow and there are loads of photos that show exactly what you should be doing, so if you’re interested in having a go, I can definitely recommend the pattern which can be found here .

After I had finished the front of the cushion, I decided to keep the reverse quite plain so made it up in one solid colour rather than stripes.  I bought my cushion insert from Dunelm Mill and it was only £3/£4; I have read that some people choose to stuff the cushion but depending on the size of it you’d need a lot of stuffing! The cushion insert was relatively inexpensive and once inserted it was easy to join the two sides together.

Despite lots of starting and stopping, I really enjoyed making this and once in the rhythm of it, it didn’t require too much concentration. I think if I make this again, the only thing I would do differently is use the magic circle for starting off as I think the hole in the middle is a little bit too big, although this is down to my own stitches and not the pattern. The finished cushion is around 47cm in diameter.

Materials used:

• Yarn (approximately)
  • Pale Rose – 70g
  • Cream – 70g
  • Bluebell – 170g
• Hook – 4mm
• Cushion insert