Quickly Change a Room with Pillows

You know those little things that bug you but still take years for you to get around to doing something about it?  Ah, yes, this was the story of our couch throw pillows.  I love our red couch set but have always hated the mod style pillows that came with it.  They just weren't us.  But they were free (well, for the low price of a couch set) and replacing throw pillows isn't cheap.  So they stayed that way for over two years.  That is until now. 

New house and I had finally had enough of the old pillows.  But instead of replacing them outright, I decided to re-cover them, a decision I'm now glad I made.  The cost of fabric to cover all four pillows came out to about what a single new pillow would have cost me.  I ordered my fabric from Buy Fabrics, http://www.buyfabrics.com/, a discount sight that specializes in upholstery and drapery fabrics.  $6/yard is a steal for upholstery fabric.  So hurray for bargain DIY!

Truthfully, I was hesitant to start on the project.  The material had me totally intimidated.  I had never worked with upholstery before and even though I had everything I needed, it took me weeks to start.  Two weeks, it just lay there, as it had when it first arrived in the mail.  I got around to cutting the fabric and it stayed like that in the craft closet for another week.  Finally, I had an early start to a morning, company coming soon, and the nerve to get the project finished.  Irony is that once I started actually sewing, I was done in under 2 hours.  And that includes slip stitching all four pillows, while stopping frequently to referee two small boys.  The pillows look great and it was so easy that I started looking around the house for where else I could add more throw pillows. 

So here's some very basic instructions for sewing throw pillows.  You'll be amazed at how pillows can completely change the look and feel of a room.  The directions I give are for a cover that is not removable.  If that is something you wish, it is a little more complicated to add a zipper seam or an envelope closure but still in the beginners realm.  But if like me, your fabric is dry clean only, I recommend this method.  You'll need to clean the whole pillow anyway, so why not take the easy route?

How to Sew Throw Pillows:

Supplies:
Pillow insert or throw pillow to be covered
Two pieces of fabric, cut to 1-3" larger than pillow, based on desired "fullness", 
       the smaller the extra allowance, the fuller the pillow will look
Heavy weight thread in matching color
Heavy duty sewing needle

1. Place fabric squares, right sides facing each other, and pin along edge.  Sew along three sides, about 1/4" from edge, or using the footer as your guide.

2.  Turn inside out.  Insert pillow gently, tugging into all corners. 

3.  Slip stitch open seam.

It's in the Bag

Singer (as in the sewing machine manufacturer) holds sewing classes regularly for staff at Martha Stewart. I guess if you work for Martha, you better know the basics. This project is their first sewing project. Its easy, reversible, and can totally fit your style based on what fabric you select. And its it cute?

I made two of these bags in a day, different styles, of course. That's start to finish. I washed the fabric, cut the fabric, pinned the panels in the morning and sewed in the afternoon. The most time-consuming part is slip-stitching the handle shut after pulling it right side out. But still quick to make. The second most time-consuming part was figuring out how to piece together the template after enlarging it to 200% on 3 pages to get it all copied. Thank you Office Max lady for your help!(No, she doesn't read this blog.)

Again, I'm going to leave the instructions up to Martha. Their clear and concise.

How to Make a Reversible Purse:
http://www.marthastewart.com/264167/reversible-purse

Pillowcase Tote Bag

This is a great one for beginner sewers. Two sides are already hemmed and stitched for you and the rest is all easy straight lines. The bags are perfect for taking to the library or the Farmer's market. We have one for each purpose (good thing pillowcase are sold as sets). You can use an old pillowcase you have lying around. According to Martha Stewart, we all have tons of old cute pillowcases that are mismatched. Most of them old and cute enough to be termed vintage. All unmatched, old pillowcases I own are either plain white or just not cute. I really don't wanted a Rainbow Brite tote bag. If your linen closet resembles mine, you can just buy your pillowcases. This allows two for you, or if you're more generous about it than I was, one for you and one for a friend. In my defense, I did make a second bag for my sister-in-law.

I'm going to direct you to Martha's site. She can explain it better than I can. I originally came across this bag, not on her website, but in her sewing book, Martha Stewart's Encycolpedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts, a great resource for sewing basics, as well as a compilation of some wonderful ideas.

How To Make a Pillowcase Tote Bag:

http://www.marthastewart.com/273714/sleeper-of-a-bag

"If You Can't Control a Sewing Machine, You Can't Control a Car"

My mother, like many mothers long before her time, insisted I learn to sew. But unlike those old-fashioned ancestors, it had nothing to do with preparing wedding linens to catch me a man. Her reason was much more life and death. I was not allowed anywhere near the driver's seat of a vehicle until I could sew.

It's actually brilliant. I will probably do the same with my kids. My mom's thoughts were that a sewing machine would teach me how to use a foot pedal. I think her words were something along the lines of, "I would rather you crash a sewing project than crash a car." And so I learned to sew. Not well, but enough to eventually be taken out for a driving lesson. I don't even remember what that first sewing project was. It's possible I did nothing but running stitches all over a scrap of cloth. But the lesson apparently sunk in, enough that I had the basics down when I again sat at a machine more than a decade later.

And as for the driving? Well, my husband says I have a tendency to drift to the right. I will have to look into if my sewing does the same.

The Evolution of my Projects

The original concept and the finished product (the bodies wrap around to the back).




You ever get half way through a project, realize that your in over your head, and finally decide its time to call Mom? And later realize you probably should have asked her advice to begin with to save yourself a lot of heartache? This has been the running theme of my sewing projects as of late.

That was certainly the case with the zoo shirts I recently made for my boys. It was a project I had seen on Martha Stewart's website (I'll get into that wonder another day). The original project: freehand machine embroidery. Was supposed to be simple, or so said the cute girl that was making them. Fast forward several months and I'd started envisioning taking my boys to the National Zoo, now that we just moved under 3 hours from Washington D.C. Wouldn't they be adorable in those giraffe and elephant shirts?

So I ordered my supplies, printed the patterns, and was ready to go. Yeah, I said ordered. I live in a town without a craft/sewing supply store. Yes, its horrible. In Colorado Springs, I had Hobby Lobby practically in my backyard. Now the closest H.L. is 3 1/2 hours away. Thank goodness Michael's and Joann's are only just over an hour. But they are small versions of the stores, originals dating back to inception of these companies. Supplies are not always easy to come by and so I'm learning to trust ordering online. Not an easy thing when it comes to fabric that you can't touch, colors that might off, etc.

Supplies finally came in. Started sewing. Realized very quickly that I do not yet possess the control to freehand anything with a sewing machine. I NEED my presser foot. So that will be a skill to develop another time. Went to Plan B, hand embroidering the outlines. Realized even quicker that it wasn't a very good Plan B.

Enter my mom. She right away recommended applique. Applique! Why didn't I think of that? Of course! Applique would be quick, easy, and the more I thought about, make the patterns pop on the bold striped shirts I had purchased. So with my mom's guidance as to what to buy, the project was on to Plan C.

And she was right. My first appliques were so much easier to execute. I love the look of them and can't wait to go to the zoo with the boys. I also now feel like I have a new skill that will come in very handy. Halloween costumes, future outfits, even gifts. I've got so many new ideas for what to do with my new skill. I can't wait to get started.

Almost forgot, here's the blog I referenced to double check that I was doing the right thing: http://www.myhappycrazylife.com/how-to-applique/

Sometimes Plan C, D, or E turns out being the best plan of all.