Inspired by map decor she saw on Apartment Therapy, Ruth made these twelve appliqued map cushions for her children. If the project looks on par with one of Hercules' labors, it came pretty close. Ruth calls it a 'what-on-earth-was-I-thinking-when-I-started-this' project.
But she persevered and finished all twelve. Take a look at the detail below.
They look fantastic and clearly her kids have found plenty of ways to put them to use: for jumping, wrestling, napping and, of course, they are a puzzle to solve.
Well done, Ruth!
See more: The Shape of String
(Images: Ruth/The Shape of String)
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Bake a Potato in the Oven
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
You definitely have more dedication than I would. :) I have a feeling that if I started it right now, I'd still be working on when my now-2 year old had his own 2 year old.
Holy cow. I'm HUGELY impressed. Love it!!
Love maps and love making them but the fabric applique! Wow. Beautiful. What great teaching furniture. Just did a tutorial post here on using an iphone with GPS & Google maps to help design a map. Photos have coordinates attched to them which can be accessed in Google Maps. Helps in the design process.
Cool! :)
A quicker, though less awesome, alternative to applique would be to get map sections printed on fabric at Spoonflower.
For many of us, the quickest way to do this project would be to wait until the continents drift into nice square shapes.
Very impressive, and cute idea!
Wow so impressive! Love that it's all appliqués!
I made my sister a map "quilt" using spoonflower, it turned out beautifully, definitely a great way to cut corners on the project but these are so special.
That is an insane amount of work. They must be saved for the grandkids!
Superb and inspiring. Wish there were a clearer/ aerial photo.
This is insanely cool, that is one brave mom!
I can not even show that to my 5 year-old, he loves maps!
...and he knows how to get me to make nice things for him :)
I love this project. I don't know anyone with the skills and desire to do this for me. I am not sure what Spoonflower is, but I'm headed over there now to check them out. I was wondering about purchasing fabric that was printed with a map. Maybe that's what Spoonflower is and it will solve my problem.
You are a gifted fabric artist. Your children are blessed!
Thank you for all your lovely comments! Printing maps onto fabric at Spoonflower is a great idea (my imagination runs wild with all the things that could be made from map fabric).
Bee for Brian, that would definitely be the fastest way to finish them at my house!
And, yes, this project is totally amazing.
What a great, inspiring project!
If you've got good scissors and an iron, fusible webbing is a superb alternative to traditional appliqué. You'll still build your images with layers of textiles--but without all the sewing.