A Bevy of Swans

I received an Easter gift of a vintage swan holding some delicious chocolate eggs.

This new addition to my collection inspired me to gather all of the pieces which are displayed throughout the house and form a bevy of swans on the living room mantel.  (Note:  I had to Google “group of swans” to see what it was called.)  They range from a wooden candle holder …

… to a small planter with a Dutch girl …

I love them all, but I’m particularly fond of the pieces that are the kind that were found in the dime store in the 1930s-40s – the kind my mother, grandmothers and aunts would have had in their homes.

I love the large bulb bowl ….

…which my daughter keeps filled with beautiful arrangements made from simple grocery store bouquets.

My usual TV/knitting spot is on a couch facing the mantel where I can enjoy my special bevy of swans.

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A Swan Cushion Set

A few months ago, I bought a vintage folding chair at an antique store and made a cushion set for it.  I thought it was time to have a change of cushions and looked through my scraps to see what I could come up with.  Recently, I’ve been embroidering in the evening while watching TV.  My embroidery skills demand simple designs with basic stitches.  Actually, I prefer the kind of 1930s-40s embroidery that all of the women in my family did while I was growing up.  This design of a swan holding summer flowers seemed just right for summertime cushions.

I used a quilt pattern named Children’s Delight from my EQ6 software to make 5-½ inch blocks. The pillow measures 17×17 inches.  When assembling the top cushion, I added a 15 inch piece of 2-½ inch elastic on the back to hold it in place while on the chair.

I made an unquilted fabric seat cushion to keep the focus on the top cushion with the swan.

I had just put the finished set on the chair and left to get my camera.  When I came back to the room, I found that Addie loves the new cushions.