A Gift With a Condition

I received this lovely gift from a very dear childhood friend of mine. A gift with a condition it is. You see, my friend L. made this lovely cross-stitch embroidery especially for me. (Yay! Thank you so much!!!) She enjoys occasional sewing or embroidering when the time permits. Well, she embroidered this and sent it over to me with one particular condition - that I make a pillow with this piece. She made me promise her that.

I could not believe that L. was willing to part with this piece of art, I kept asking her to keep it for herself but she insisted. And I am so glad she did because I would never have enough patience for such a detailed work. When I saw this picture for the first time, I instantly fell in love with it. There was something sweetly familiar about this drawing, this particular style, but I could not work out what. Only after about some time it occurred to me that it is a design by Belle & Boo. How could I not know this from the first sight?

I absolutely love how L. used polka dot linen for the background, it does look like falling snow that I love so much. Now I have to do a lot of thinking and careful planning on how to turn this embroidery in to a pillow, what design to choose. If it was my own work, it would've been easier but knowing that my friend put so much effort into creating this, makes me a bit scared of ruining it. I am thinking of going with a very plain look and just adding some piping/cording around the edge. Ah, I just need a few extra hours in a day or a spare pair of hands. :-) Happy sewing and finding spare time everybody! Larisa xox