Pushing the Envelope

I’ve finally decided I’m fed up with having our master bedroom almost done. This week, I’m trying to mark at least one project a night off my list.

• Fill in cracks in crown molding (done here)
• Replace outlets and light switches (done here)
• Repaint room (here)
• Replace ceiling fan with chandelier (finally!)
• Buy a rug (we scored a great deal at West Elm)
• Upholster headboard (1000 staples later, we finished)
• Get more storage (Done and Done)
• Sew Curtains (done! Expect a post Thurs or Fri)
• Hang Curtains (this week for sure)
• Sew Pillows
• Artwork (half done here, still have one canvas to paint)
• Paint lamps (I don’t know what color to paint them!)
• Accessorize (Still collecting things to set out)

And since I’ve had this gorgeous navy chevron fabric sitting in my closet for two weeks just begging to be made into throw pillows for the bed, finding my first project wasn’t very hard.

First thing I did was sacrifice two old pillows to the throw pillow gods. They’ve led a long and happy life on our spare bed, but since we’ll be tackling the spare bedroom in the not-too-distant future (and the black and tan bedding is on it’s way out) I salvaged the perfectly good feather pillow forms from these guys. A penny saved is a penny that can be spent on more fabric, right?

The pillow forms were 18×18, so I cut my first pieces of fabric to that size. I like to cut to the exact dimensions of the pillow form because I think it makes the pillow look plumper, especially with feather pillow forms (which tend to go flat easily).

Next, I cut two back flaps for each pillow. I cut them to be 18″x12″ and 18″x16″, then ironed and hemmed them along one 18″ side.

Next, I laid out the 18″x18″ square, face up.

Make sure your pattern is going in the direction you intend before you start pinning. I wanted my chevron stripes to be horizontal.

I then laid on the back flaps, placing the hemmed side in the middle of the pillow and pinned all they way around. The flaps should overlap by at least two inches.

Finally, I sewed all the way around the pillow, leaving no gaps, and then turned it right side out. I ironed them here because I wanted a nice, crisp look.

Last but not least, I added the pillow forms.

I think they turned out pretty well and I love the navy chevron with the coral floral (hah, coral floral…. I’m a poet!).

These were so easy to make! And the best part is that the covers come off easily and can be thrown in the washer, a necessity in a house with two dogs and a cat.

I still have three more pillows to sew for the bed (two flanged Euro shams and one small bolster), but it feels great to finally be checking things off the list!

Have you sewn pillows before? Have you jumped on the chevron stripe bandwagon yet? I’m a little late.