Yellow roses

My mum has been working on a cross-stitch of some yellow roses for years. The sewing has even travelled to Madagascar for two years with her. She finally finished this year and asked if I could make it into a cushion cover for her. It just so happened that her birthday was coming up so I said I would do it as my present to her. I found some fabric that I thought went well with the cross-stitch and then made a start. I made a border of my chosen fabric around the cross-stitch to make the front part of the cushion cover. I then made the back out of two bits of the fabric with a zip going across. This was the first time I had ever sewn a zip into anything so I was a little unsure of what I was doing, but used my trusty Sewing Book by DK to check the technique. I had also bought piping for the edge of the cushion, which like the zip I had never used before. I think it all came together pretty well. My mum loves it and it has pride of place in her living room. May 2010

This isn't the best picture, it's a bit dark, but you get the idea.