Furniture and a finish

We finally purchased new furniture several weeks ago. I thought it would motivate me to "decorate" the living room. I can't seem to pull it together to accomplish that, but I did finish two pillows. And took pictures of them. In place. On the sofa. Amazing, right?

These are small Norman Rockwell panels that I bought ages ago. I always intended to make pillows but that just didn't happen. They sing on the new deep gray leather. Because the pictures are of boys doing boy things, I just couldn't resist. I also love Rockwell's work thanks to my mom who appreciated his work so much that she had a book of his prints. We would look at the pictures and talk about the joy and simplicity of American life during her youth.


This one of the boys fishing on the river is sweet. Boys are at their best when they are sleeping, after all.  I quilted around the bodies, on the planks of the raft, and around the umbrella. Then I ghost quilted in some clouds and rippling water. It was helpful that there are a few little lines indicating the water. I was on my own for the clouds though. 

The second one has four boys tumbling after a football. I had only three boys, but this scene could have been in my yard any day of the week from the time they were about nine until about age 30--when knees and ankles and backs and other body parts fight the unnecessary rough stuff. It was easy enough to quilt the boys' bodies but the ghost quilting stumped me for a minute. Finally I quilted in some weedy grass and sky. 

The fabric has the look of a fine burlap (oxymoron, if anything is) and I wanted the pillows to coordinate with the quilt that I made for Richard a while ago. It's a favorite because it's large enough to cover up with but not so big that it's too heavy for TV watching. To that end, I added this navy/beige plaid that matches fairly well. 

I like them, but just as importantly, Richard really likes them. I figure they won't last long with all the little ones around, but then the panels were only about 50 cents when I bought them on clearance. I'm guessing the entire cost was a couple of dollars and my time. Not a bad investment for something that brings back fond memories and nostalgia of our boys in their younger years, don't you think? What about you? Do you have quick projects languishing in your sewing room, waiting to get done?

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Alycia Quilts - Quiltygirl blog for Finished Or Not Fridays