Anyway-I was looking on Pinterest and...I've found some really neat crafts I want to do! If you're linked on my page they are under the "A Bunch of Neat Crafts" board. So cool!
You want to see what I've been up to making? PILLOWS! I've wanted to make some pillows for our couch for quite some time. Luckily, Spring Break was the perfect time to do this and I did! I also made a great personalized daily to-do list but I'm having trouble uploading it for your viewing and using pleasure =(
Anywho-check out my pillow HOW TOs below!
There are just your basic pillow. SUPER easy to make-seriously, I've been making this style of pillow since I was like 14.
**What You'll Need: 1) Fabric 2) Fabric scissors 3) Matching thread 4) Stuffing 5) Iron
**How to: 1) Select fabric. 2) Cut fabric to desired pillow size. 3) Iron fabric smooth. 4) Put the "faces" (the good sides or the sides you want to show) against one another so the back sides are outward for sewing. 5) Sew 3 sides approximately 1/2 inch from seam. 6) Flip sewn fabric right side out (so now the faces are outward for viewing). 7) Stuff to desired "comfy" level. 8) Sew up fourth side.
Done and done! Super quick and easy and they turned out so CUTE! These are a great way to learn how to using basic stitching on a sewing machine. Obviously by hand works just as well but since I wanted to make 4, one of which was super time consuming (see below), the sewing machine came in handy.
Now this next pillow...was a pain in the ass to make...but I LOVE how it turned out! I drew inspiration from this pillow via pinterest but I went and read the blog it came from and realized it really didn't look that bad. I mean my friend over at Leaping Over the Pond also "inked" a pillow with a Bible verse and it turned out wonderfully! My main issues with this pillow was that the ink bled ever so slightly and my fabric, once washed, was hard to iron back flat. I think it turned out well but I don't know if I would do it again. Now granted, I did both sides and used an entire song so maybe that was part of it....
(Side 1)
**What You'll Need: 1) Fabric 2) Fabric Scissors 3) Matching thread 4) Stuffing 5) Verse/Quote/Lyric print out 6) Letter stencil (in whatever font and size you like) 7) Permanent fabric marker 8) Iron
**How To: 1) Select Fabric. 2) Cut fabric to desired pillow shape. 3) Print quote/lyric/verse for reference. 4) Iron fabric smooth. 5) Using stencil, trace the letters of the lyric on the fabric. (*PLEASE NOTE-I could not, no matter what I tried rid of the pencil marks on this pillow. I don't know if it was the fabric I was using or the type of lead but trace very lightly if you don't want the pencil marks on it...I've succumbed to them and have decided that it gives the pillow character, lol).
I used a fairly plain block and medium size stencil for my letters. I also used an entire song instead of one or two lines so I think that also made it more cumbersome (although I love it with the whole song).
6) After fully stenciling, fill the letters in with your maker. (This is where I had another problem because it bled a bit. Not much but it spread out a bit further than I would have liked it to. You can see some of my letters look "thicker" than others-that's the spreading/bleeding). 7) Once letters are filled in, iron again to "set" the ink. This will help prevent it from bleeding in the wash. 8) Wash (in COLD water) the inked fabric to ensure no bleeding. (I hand washed mine first to make sure). 9) Once washed and dried, iron again to flatten the fabric for smoother sewing. (Again, this fabric was a pain and didn't iron out well after the washing...but I kind of like the burlapy-wrinkly look it has now). 10) Sew 3 sides approximately 1/2 inch from seam. 11) Flip sewn fabric right side out (so now the faces are outward for viewing). 12) Stuff to desired "comfy" level. 13) Sew up fourth side.
I liked the way it turned out the more and more I look at it. At first I was disappointed but Der was very encouraging and said he really liked it and was quite proud. =]
(Side 2)
Now this last pillow I think is my favorite just because it looks so damn cute! It's a little neck/decorative pillow.
I just love monogrammed stuff and the lowercase just worked better with this smaller neck pillow.
**What You'll Need: 1) Fabric 2) Fabric Scissors 3) Matching thread 4) Stuffing 5) Permanent fabric marker 6) Iron
I had originally intended for this to just be the little letter r pillow but I had extra fabric and liked the idea of the little fabric flower in the corner-and now I'm totally in love <3
**How to (without flower): 1) Select fabric. 2) Cut fabric to desired pillow size. 3) Iron fabric smooth. 4) Trace whatever design (in this case letter) you like on the pillow-I just free handed the r. 5) Fill in with permanent fabric marker. 6) Iron fabric to "set" ink. 7) Again wash (in COLD water) the inked fabric to ensure no bleeding. 8) Once washed and dried, iron again to flatten the fabric for smoother sewing. 9) Put the "faces" (the good sides or the sides you want to show) against one another so the back sides are outward for sewing. 10) Sew 3 sides approximately 1/4 inch from seam. 11) Flip sewn fabric right side out (so now the faces are outward for viewing). 12) Stuff to desired "comfy" level. 13) Sew up fourth side.
If you want to make the flower detail you'll follow steps 1-8 above and then: cut pieces from the excess fabric (I free handed) of whatever size you're wanting for the flower. I just cut however many until I thought it looked good (I think it was approximately 14 or so little pieces). Gather 1 piece at a time and hand stitch 4-8 stitches at the bottom of the "leaf" right on the front of the pillow front. Do so until you've achieved your desired look. I wanted to use a button for the flower center but didn't have one on hand so I used a circular piece of fabric and just stitched it on. Then proceed with steps 9-13 from above.
Aren't they great?! I'm really glad I did this and I enjoy the look they bring to both the couch and the living room now.
If you're looking for more pillow inspiration check out the web! They are usually pretty simple to make and can really add to the texture and look of a room. I'm thinking about making a few of these for the bedroom.
I hope you've enjoyed my "tutorial" in pillow making and hope you were inspired to make something for yourself!
Have you made anything recently that you're proud of?
I love it, especially the one with words..
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