Made a Lily - Step 1

My first step in the creation of a Pick-a-Lily pincushion doll is almost always to grab a basket. Into this I toss an assortment of fabrics, threads, trims, and baubles that will be the inspiration for the finished piece. Today, however, this basket inspired me with another idea. . . . . .

. . . . . .I thought perhaps you might be interested in joining me in the process of making a Lily?!!! I spent some time looking over my notes and it seems as if it could be broken down into about 15 steps. If we did one step a week, we would be done sometime in May. I know it seems an awful long time but I'm not sure how proficient I'll be in the "tutorial" department. And please, if you do decide to join in, let me know if I ever lead you astray.

Step 1 - Fabric Selection (my favorite part!)

In general I suggest you stick with good quality, 100% cotton fabrics. You are going to need a minimum of 3 different prints but having a larger assortment is much more fun. Variety is key so within your color palette include a range of dark and light fabrics. Feel free to mix up the prints into a collection of florals, checks, dots, geometrics, plaids or even solids. And finally, although I have a great fondness of small scale prints, I do always try to pick a few larger ones in the process. Sometimes they help create a bit of contrast but other times I find they contain the perfect element to fussy cut out!

Peeking ahead a bit.....you might want to have some lightweight fusible interfacing on hand as well we're going to use it when we create the pincushion base!

PS -oops! I forgot to mention you might want to run your fabrics through the wash before we start working with them. I find it much easier to work with pre-washed pieces and think you might too!