I Made it Monday Removable St.Patrick's Throw Pillow Covers

I Made it Monday

Join me on my ongoing quest to share tips, tricks, projects, and recipes along with just about anything else on I Made it Monday.

Removable St. Patrick's Throw Pillow Covers

First of all, I must say, these pillow covers were inspired by a cute kids craft project that I pinned some time ago, http://www.funonadime.net/cute-st-patricks-day-home-decor-craft-guest-post/. The black and white stripes and the green contrast really caught me eye and I thought they would make for cute pillows.

Both the black and white canopy stripe fabric and the green denim fabric that I used came from Fabric.com. Sometimes I can get a little worked up about ordering fabric online. Call me crazy, but I really like to touch and feel my fabric. Unfortunately, I just wasn't finding what I wanted locally so I had to order it. I wish I could tell you just how wonderfully lucky I was. Both fabrics turned out to be exactly what I hoped they would.

A few weeks ago I shared how I make removable throw pillow covers. This week I'm riding along the pillow wave and sharing my St.Patrick's throw pillow covers. I told you, I like pillows, and I like decorating for the seasons and holidays. Please try not to be shocked, like my husband was, that I like making pillows for the seasons and holidays. It is deep within me. No amount of shame or over decorating judgement will take it away. 

Now, if this tutorial seems familiar it's because it is. There are only a few extra steps involved to add the shamrock applique. If you weren't scared by the original then don't let this one scare you.

Supplies

• Pillow forms. I got mine at IKEA for $3.99 each.
• 1 ½ yards of 54” home décor fabric of choice to make 2 twenty inch square pillow covers.
• Basic sewing supplies, machine, needle, thread, scissors, iron, ruler, you know, the basics.
• Fabric for your applique of choice. This is really going to depend on what size you are making your applique. If you're following along as close as possible you'll need about 3/8 yd. If your fabric shop will cut fat quarters you could get by with 1 fat quarter instead.
• Heat n Bond Lite Iron On Sewable Adhesive. This can usually be found near the notions aisle with the other stabilizers. 

Measure pillows. Mine were labeled 20” x 20” but they were really more like 19 ½” x 19 ½”.

Determine your width and length and cut your fabric. I suggest using the same width measurement as your pillow. I know what you’re thinking, “There’s no seam allowance. It won’t fit.” But it will. It will fit snug and your pillow will look full and plump, not half empty and limp. For the length you are going to double the length of the pillow and add 8”. For me this means my fabric will need to be 19 ½” x 47” (19 ½ + 19 ½ + 8).

For large cuts of fabric I find that it is often easier to fold the fabric in half then cut it. Just be sure to think about the orientation of the pattern of the fabric.

Now you should have a rectangle of fabric. On the short ends you will need to fold over 3/8”, iron, then fold it over itself, and iron it again. After you have ironed both ends go ahead and sew the seam down on each end.

Fold over 3/8", fold over again, and iron.

Sew your seam. I used the side of the presser foot as a guide.

This is where things take a slight detour from the original tutorial. 

Now it's time to deal with the applique. For my shamrock I simply Googled shamrock clip art line drawing, looked around a little, and selected one. If you click on the image it will take you to a Google Doc I have hosted where you can download from there. 

Click here to download. 

When I printed it a few of the petals/leaves (what are they anyway?) were cut off. I cut out the shamrock as it was then taped a little extra paper to the cut off edges, drew them in, then cut out the rest of the edges to complete the shamrock. I wanted it to be essentially the size of a full piece of paper. Mine ended up being around 11" x 10".

Next comes the Heat n Bond Lite (HNBL) and your shamrock fabric. I think of HNBL as paper fabric glue. I know that's not really what it is but that's how it starts, as paper, and ends, as glue, so it's paper fabric glue to me. In the interest of staying on topic, and not making this tutorial 18 pages long, I'll just say follow the directions on the package for the proper use of HNBL. You'll want to adhere it to the shamrock fabric first, cut out your shamrock, then adhere the shamrock to the pillow fabric.   

Unfortunately I failed to get a picture of the back side with the HNBL attached. Just be sure to follow the directions on the package and you'll be fine.

When your shamrock is ready to be placed lay the pillow fabric rectangle out and find the center vertically and horizontally. I folded the fabric over vertically, ran my finger on the fold to make a crease, unfolded the fabric, then folded it horizontally, ran my finger on the fold to make a crease, and unfolded it again. This gave me an x/y axis and the center. I used painter's tape to help mark the center so it wouldn't get lost in the stripes of my fabric.

I placed my shamrock in the center trying to keep it even on all sides. Since I was making two pillows I wanted them to be as close to the same as possible. You could always rotate the shamrock or even put it off to the side. Have fun playing with the look. They are your pillows after all. Once you have the shamrock where you want it you'll need to do something to keep it in place so you can move it to your ironing board. I used painter's tape again. You could also pin it down. Iron the top of the shamrock in place really well. I know the HNBL directions say a silk setting but I didn't feel like this was working so I bumped the temp on my iron up a little. You want to be really sure to iron well around all of the edges. 

I used painter's tape to help hold it in place while I moved over to the ironing board.

Iron and iron well. Iron some more. Did I mention that you really have to iron it?

This next step is optional. I can understand why you might not want to do it but I highly suggest it. If you're not going to do this then please iron the shamrock down some more. And maybe even some more after that. You don't want it to start to peel up.

I sewed a simple line around the  edge of the shamrock to help it stay adhered. If the thought of all of those curves and turns scares you try this ... don't look at the needle. If you're watching where the needle is going you can't be watching what is coming so you're probably sewing to close or turning to sharp or backing up a lot. Instead of watching the needle, try watching just outside of it. My standard presser foot has three red lines. I keep my needle set to center and watch the far right line. If I keep the right line of the presser foot lined up with the edge of the fabric I can sew a fairly neat little edge stitch. Since I'm not watching the needle and am watching the guide line I'm looking just ahead and can anticipate curves and edges. For the "v" part of the curves I sewed two straight stitches across then continued into the next turn. Hopefully the pictures help explain it a little better.

See how the edge of the fabric is lined up with the red line to the right? I only glance occasionally at the needle and focus most of my attention at keeping the red line in line with the edge of the fabric.

If you look at the "v" of the curves you can see where I stitched two straight stitches then continued back with the curve. 

Once your shamrock is secure it's time to fold the fabric to form the actual pillow case. With your fabric right side up, lay it out on a flat surface. I found the center of the long length and marked mine with painter's tape again. Since I knew that my pillow cover needed to be 19 1/2" long when finished I decided to go with some simple math this time to find out how much to fold each side in. This ensured that my shamrock was going to be in the middle of my finished product. I divided my desired length, 19 1/2", by 2, which equaled 9 3/4".  This meant that I needed to fold up my fabric from each side until I had 9 3/4" on each side of center. If you're not so worried about your shamrock being in the middle or think you want to eye it, go for it! I'm not going to stop you. Once you have your sides adjusted, pin them together, then sew the side seams.

Are you starting to see the magic of painter's tape?

I folded each side so that the length on each side of center was 9 3/4" then checked to make sure that I had the desired 19 1/2".

Yes, that's not the same fabric. I failed to take a picture of the pinned and ready to sew stripes. Thankfully I had this from the last tutorial. This is what it will look like when you're ready to sew the side seams.

Sew your side seams with an approximately 5/8 inch seam.

You're almost there. Next, trim the corners of your seams to allow for easy turning, then turn the pillow cover right side out. I like to use the tip of a small paint brush to push out the corners. Give a quick press with your iron then turn your pillow cover, stuff your pillow form inside, and fluff. That’s it. You’re finished!

Trim the corners for easy turning.

This is what the back looks like.

Don't you love them?

And finally, the obligatory outside, on a dining room chair, in the bright Florida sun picture.

Do you decorate for St.Patrick's? How about cook for it? I haven't got into that yet but if you have a good recipe feel free to share it. I'm always up for something new.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, as well as Facebook, and find my designs at Applique Time. Check back next week to see my next I Made it Monday post. 

Regards,

Bridgette 

I Made it Monday Removable Throw Pillow Covers

I Made it Monday

Join me on my ongoing quest to share tips, tricks, projects, and recipes along with just about anything else on I Made it Monday.

Removable Throw Pillow Covers

I have wanted to make throw pillows for my couch for ages. I made some Christmas pillows a long, long time ago with polyfil stuffing but I wasn’t very happy with their durability. The polyfil clumped and the pillows collapsed over time. The truth is, I don’t just want one set of throw pillows. I want throw pillows for every holiday and every season. I want to change them out regularly but also have some that “belong there” when it isn’t a holiday or I’m not decorating for a season. The problem with this is that terrible phrase that so many of us struggle with … where will I store them? Seriously, if I have 3 or 4 pillows for every holiday, season or celebration I’m going to need a closet just for pillows. Considering that I already need a closet just for fabric, and could use one just for other craft supplies, means a dedicated pillow closet really isn’t in my cards. That’s where today’s project comes in. I’ve decided to make removable covers so I can switch them out whenever I want, they won’t take more than a small bit of shelf space to store and they have an added bonus: they can be washed whenever needed.

Supplies

• Pillow forms. I got mine at IKEA for $3.99 each.
• 1 ½ yards of 54” home décor fabric of choice to make 2 twenty inch square pillow covers.
• Basic sewing supplies, machine, needle, thread, scissors, iron, ruler, you know, the basics.

Measure pillows. Mine were labeled 20” x 20” but they were really more like 19 ½” x 19 ½”.

Determine your width and length and cut your fabric. I suggest using the same width measurement as your pillow. I know what you’re thinking, “There’s no seam allowance. It won’t fit.” But it will. It will fit snug and your pillow will look full and plump, not half empty and limp. For the length you are going to double the length of the pillow and add 8”. For me this means my fabric will need to be 19 ½” x 47” (19 ½ + 19 ½ + 8).

It may be easier to cut your fabric by folding it in half. Just take a few minutes to be certain of the orientation of the fabric when cutting it.

Now you should have a rectangle of fabric. On the short ends you will need to fold over 3/8”, iron, then fold it over itself, and iron it again. After you have ironed both ends go ahead and sew the seam down on each end.

I sewed the seam somewhat close to the edge. 

With your fabric right side up, lay it out on a flat surface. I found the center of the long length and folded each short end over so that they overlapped somewhere around 3 inches left or right of center respectively. I then adjusted each end until the sides were 19 ½” just like my top and bottom, trying to keep the overlaps relatively even in relation to the middle. Once you have your sides adjusted, pin them together, then sew the seams.

Overlap the ends and adjust until the sides (shown on the top and bottom in this pic) are the correct length.

Try to keep the overlap relatively even. You can tell that mine is a little longer on one side but not too much. I did say relatively.

Pin the sides then sew.

Trim the corners of your seams to allow for easy turning, then turn the pillow cover right side out. I like to use the tip of a small paint brush to push out the corners. Iron your pillow cover then stuff your pillow form inside and fluff. That’s it. You’re finished!

Trim your corners.

Give it a quick iron then stuff your pillow form inside.

This is what the back of the pillow looks like.

Have you made pillow covers another way? Be sure to share in the comments and when you give these a try I would love to see pics.

Here's a great comparison of how different the couch looks with the new pillows.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, as well as Facebook, and find my designs at Applique Time. Check back next week to see my next I Made it Monday post. 

Regards,

Bridgette 

How I Make a Simple Elastic Waist Skirt

Typically when I applique a shirt for my daughter she has a matching skirt. I don't really think twice about it, I just make a skirt. Last time I made her one it got me thinking, maybe you (my loyal reader) would like to know how I "just make a skirt". Well, it's easy, I promise. One simple math problem and straight lines. Nothing else. Really!  


You will need ...


main fabric, 1 yard or less depending on the size
contrast fabric, 1/2 yard or less depending on the size
measuring tape 
scissors 
rotary cutter and cutting mat (don't worry if you don't have them, it just makes things easier)
thread
7/8 inch elastic although I often use 1/2 inch if that's what I have on hand

iron, sewing machine, you know, the typical stuff if you want to sew


First, you will want to measure the waist of your child and decide what finished length you like. Right now my daughter is 5 years old. She has a 22" waist and I like her skirts to be about 14" long. She is tall and very lean (a trait that I gave up years ago) and I am fairly conservative when it comes to her skirt length. She is a little girl after all.


Now, some simple math.


Main fabric
Subtract 1/2" from your desired length. For me that will be 13 1/2" (14 minus 1/2). We will call this your adjusted length.


Cut 2 pieces the width of the waist and the adjusted length. Again for me, that will be 22 x 13 1/2.

If you are making a skirt for a waist 20" or smaller just cut 1 piece on the fold. 


Contrast fabric
Cut 2 pieces the width of the waist x 5 3/4" long. This will ultimately yield a contrast band that is approximately 2 1/2 inches wide. 


Again, if you are making a skirt for a waist 20" or smaller you can cut 1 piece on the fold.

That's it for the cutting and the math. Now it's time to sew a few straight lines. For all seams the allowance is 3/8". 

Main fabric
With right sides together sew each side seam. I prefer to overcast mine when I am finished since I don't have a serger. If you are working with a smaller waist and cut 1 piece on the fold you only have 1 side seam to sew.

Contrast fabric
With right sides together sew each side seam. Do NOT overcast or serge these seams. They will need to lie flat in a few minutes. If you are working with a smaller waist you only have 1 side seam here too.

Press the seams open. Fold and iron the contrast fabric in half, right sides out, to create the contrast band. This is why we didn't serge or overcast the seams on the contrast, they are now tucked away neatly within the band.

Now, pin the contrast band to the main band, right sides together starting with matching the side seams. Sew, serge or overcast. 


If you are using a directional fabric for the contrast band be sure to check and make sure it is going to be facing the right direction after you sew it. If you don't you might end up with upside down snowmen and yes, that was the voice of experience you just heard.  

Next, iron open with the inseam up. On the right side, using the seam as a guide, sew along to tack the inseam up. If you wanted to add ric rac this is a great place to do so. 

The only thing left is to create the elastic casing and insert the elastic. I told you this was simple.


When creating a casing I always like to overcast the raw edge before I start. I don't know why. I'm sure I saw it or read it somewhere. You don't have to. I doubt anything would really happen if you didn't but I do.


Next, I press under approximately 3/8" of the raw edge and then another 1 1/4" to create the casing. Sew close to the lower edge of the casing leaving an opening to insert the elastic. 

Using a safety pin (because that's how my mom taught me) I then insert the elastic through the casing. I typically start with my waist measurement plus 1" for the length. Once the elastic is through I pin the elastic ends together (maybe this is why I start with a safety pin) and try the skirt on. Of course the elastic always needs to be adjusted but that is simple. After adjusting the fit I sew the elastic together, distribute the fullness, and stitch the opening close. I also make a habit of stitching in the ditch on the side seams to try to keep the elastic from shifting or twisting.

That's it! You're done. Now go make a skirt!


For those of you who applique here is a free design for you. I created this a week or so ago and didn't get it tested until now. Hopefully you are inspired to use it on something recycled.

Cheers,
Bridgette