An Appliqued "Home" Pillow DIY

I have been looking for a lumbar pillow to accent my brown leather sofa ~ without success!  My only solution was to create my own.  The process was extremely simple, and the results were just what I wanted!

Supplies for an 16" x 26" envelope backed pillow:

17" x 27" ~ 1 piece for front~ cotton fabric (I used Michael Miller's Soft White Cotton)
17" x 17 1/2" ~ 2 pieces for back ~ cotton fabric
1/4 yard piece of colored cotton ( I used black)
"Home" template 1
              template 2
Heat n Bond Ultrahold
16" x 26" pillow insert

Process:
Pillow front:
Print both sections of the "home" template
Trace the "home" template following the directions on the back of the Heat n Bond package
    The template is in reverse letter order.  Don't change!
    Since the script is on 2 separate pages, be careful to line up the letters evenly overlapping the "o"
       and the "m"

Iron the letters to the back of your colored cotton fabric, allow to cool, and cut out.
Peel off the paper liner.
Center the "home" on the 17" x 27" fabric piece, press until it securely attaches.
Using a zig zag or blanket stitch, sew around each letter.

Pillow back:
Turn under 1/2" along the width of one of the back pieces (17" side) Press.

Turn under an additional 1 1/2" and press.

Repeat for the remaining back piece.
Topstitch along the folded edges.

With right sides together, line up your two back pieces on top of the front piece overlapping the folded edges.

Pin, and sew a 1/2" seam around the entire rectangle ~ sew slowly and carefully where the fabrics overlap.

Clip corners, and turn right-side out.  I use a chop stick to push out the corners.

Press, and add your insert ~ and you have a beautiful new accent pillow!

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Colorful Cross Stitch Sampler

Although I love embroidery, crewel, and needlepoint, I think my favorite hand sewing technique is cross stitch ~ a perfect project to undertake while sitting under a warm throw watching a TV movie.

For me cross stitching is like an art piece ~ starting with a clean canvas and slowly seeing the colors and patterns develop.

From this~

to this~ 

I used to enjoy stitching on small count (22pt) Aida as in these projects:

Now I find, even with reading glasses, it is much easier to work with a larger 16pt. 
I love the various fonts used in this pattern by nerdylittlestitcher, and the bright colors added a cheerful feeling to my wall.

Happy Stitching! ♥

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Fabric Wall Art

I had the perfect image of what I needed to add to our guest room wall.  It needed to have a modern look in colors of light pink, hot pink, with a pop of navy ~ seemingly a lot to ask for!
Since I don't have the talents to paint an artistic creation, I decided to use what I did have.
And what I had included a large canvas and a seemly unending supply of fabric.

I found the perfect pattern ~ a quilt design that was created by Miranda Stewart for Michael Miller.  Using her model and my fabrics, the final product was just what I had hoped for.

Love the way the chevron looks with my new drapes!

Enjoy!  ♥ Pin It

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Decorative Sheet Set DIY

Wow, the cool autumn air has inspired (or refreshed) me to do some new decorating!  My newest project is one of our guest rooms.  I decided to go with pink and gray and a pop of navy ~ really into those colors now.
I wanted to keep the sheets white to go with the white furniture, but they seems so plain.  A decorative stitch was the way to spruce them up.

First, I measured the cuff on the pillowcases, and drew a line with a water soluble pen at the half way point.  For me it was 2 1/2 inches.

Using the line as my guide, I picked a decorative stitch from my sewing machine.  I did experiment with several until I found the one I liked.  Then I stitched.

I repeated the process with the top sheet, and voilà ~ I have a pretty new set of sheets! ♥


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