Decorative Pillows

Keeana has inspired me to start making decorative pillows! She started about a month ago and has already made six!

Keeana and her mom have become pillow experts so I decided to join the fun. It began a week ago with a trip to Joann's Fabrics. I wasn't sure where to start so I brought Sheila and my Mom along with me. Here are some of the fabrics that I picked out.                                                             

         

These are fabric quarters and are the perfect size for making a 16x16 inch pillow. They were $0.99 each and I got two of each pattern.

                                     

Depending on the shape and size of the pillow you can either buy stuffing or pillow inserts. On the day that I went shopping the pillow inserts were buy one get one free so I got the inserts rather than the stuffing. The stuffing is a better option if you want to make different types of shapes and sizes for you pillow.

After all the supplies were bought we began by measuring out the fabric. You want to always make sure that you have an extra inch on all sides. You end up losing this inch once you sew the seams together.

For my first pillow I wanted to do a basic pillow. Instead of having my pillow be one solid color I cut out strips from two different patterns.

Once you have all your pieces you pin the fabric together. You pin it close enough to the edge so that when you being sewing with the machine you don't hit any of the pins.

After I pinned all the strips together I brought it to the sowing machine to begin sewing.

This antique from 1958 worked like a gem!

When your using the sewing machine you have to make sure you guide the material along. Do not push or pull it the material.

When making a pillow you have to be sure that you leave a small portion unsewn. Through this hole you have the ability to turn the pillow case right side in and then stuff the stuffing or the insert into the pillow. Then you have to hand sew the pillow shut.

Yep! How sweet. Keeana's boyfriend Mike decided to help with the pillows!

Other pillows are more intricate and require a lot more than just a sewing machine. I feel ready to try one of these. You can add buttons, embroidery or decorative flowers onto the pillows. I decided that for my next pillow project I would sew on buttons. Once I got home from Keeana's I began that next project!