Saturday 28 September 2019

Sewmiriam IKEA Stool Makeover

Welcome! Today I thought I would share a mini tutorial with you - how to make a patchwork cover for a plain IKEA stool using the IKEA SUNNEA cushion.



 I have had my IKEA stool for years and it was really in need of a makeover. Last week when I was at IKEA I bought a cheap SUNNEA cover as shown below. It is a great padded cushion for the stool even with a non slip backing.


I decided to make a patchwork top for the cushion and this is how I did it. I am hoping this tutorial will inspire you to make your own soon. 

Step 1. 

Make a 12 " square finished patchwork block. ( 12 1/2 " unfinished) .
I made an eight pointed star. Any 9 patch block would work well.


I made my star from joined strips of fabric like this 


I just had to share that photo because it looks so pretty!

Step 2. 

Cut a 12 1/2 " square of fusible wadding.


Step 3. 

Place the right side of your block onto  the fusible side of the wadding . DO NOT PRESS!
 Now stitch around the  sides using a quarter inch seam to create the octagonal shape. Remember to leave a gap for later turning your pieces right side out.  I have used the corner star points as my guide to create the octagonal shape by stitching from point to point in the four corners.


Step 4.

Turn your octagon right sides out and finger press  under the open seam area to make the seam neat.  DO NOT PRESS. 

Step 5.

Top stitch around the edges to secure your front and back together and to stitch over the opening area seam, as shown above . 

Step 6. 

Place your patchwork piece on the top of the SUNNEA 
cover and now press to your heart's content!

VOILA! You have now completed your  Sewmiriam IKEA Stool makeover.


Have fun and remember to post your covers on Instagram using the hashtags 
#sewmiriam and  
#sewmiriamIKEAstool  





Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you can find a few minutes this week for some blissful stitching.

Love Miriam x 

Tuesday 17 September 2019

Gifting


Welcome to the Sewmiriam Blog. This week I thought I would share photos of a quilt I recently made as a gift for The Centre for Effective Living in Gordon, Sydney.
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The Centre helps individuals and whole families in a caring, safe and positive way to navigate life’s challenges. I made this quilt to be used as a wall hanging , and made it in the Centre’s color scheme. The quilt will provide visual harmony and interest to the therapy room. It will be used In a room where sensory awareness takes place for children with sensory sensitivities. Quilts also help dampen noise. Who knew how multi purpose a quilt could be!
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I hand quilted the quilt using Aurifil 12 thread in a variety of colors.
Whatever has been happening in your world this week, I hope you have been able to find a few moments of peaceful stitching. Making a quilt is a wonderful thing, but gifting one takes the experience to a whole new level!
Happy sewing, love Miriamx

Sunday 8 September 2019


Well hellooooo! After almost a year of neglecting my blog, I thought it was time to dust off the cobwebs and start sharing again. It is not that I have been idle. I have been busy but have been making the transition to Instagram to share my work and to showcase the fabulous work done by my students. Sewmiriam Workshops have been popping up all over the place this past year. I have been to Newcastle, to Melbourne and have busy here in Sydney. I also have a quilt that is currently in France having a photo shoot for an upcoming Quiltmania Magazine edition. Exciting times indeed.
My dilemma of course is where to start again here. So I thought I would post a few of my Happy Saturday Instagram pictures for your viewing pleasure . These are a mix of works old and new.
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The red background Sewmiriam Superstar quilt you can see above was made by my dear friend Sue . Isn’t it gorgeous!
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Don’t forget there is lots of free stuff to be found on the right hand side amongst the tags section. Click and see what you can find.
I love creating and sharing the joy of stitching with you all. Through my Workshops I have met the most amazing women. I love hearing your stories and working with you to create beautiful pieces. I will post more about these soon. Friendships are made and celebrated with each stitch. How fortunate are we to be part of the quilting community. I certainly feel humbled and thankful each and every day.
May your days be filled with peaceful stitching,Happy sewing,Love Miriamx