Check out the entire tutorial on Curbly.
Towel Filled Bolster Pillows
November 18th, 2009DIY Floor Pillows for Thanksgiving Company
November 12th, 2009
Photo Image: Apartment Therapy-Chicago
If you’re looking to make some comfy, easy floor pillows for Thanksgiving company, check out this tutorial over on ApartmentTherapy Chicago.
How To Upholster a Round Stool
July 24th, 2009
This ottoman isn’t a new project on Curbly but the video I just did showing how to upholster around a circular base is brand new. Hopefully, video tutorials will get easier but the essential information is right there.
Check it out right here.
Pillow Talk: Harvested Plaid Fabric from Goodwill
July 22nd, 2009
One surefire way to create one-of-a-kind home furnishings is to harvest eye catching fabric from your local Goodwill or thrift shop. I’ve been on a plaid mission for the past few months. It started with any and all plaids but now I’ve fine tuned my eagle eyes to find big plaids, unusual colors and good quality fabric (mostly 100% wool). The big pleated plaid ottoman I upholstered a few months ago kicked off my passion for mod plaids. Here’s a 3 for 1 tutorial on harvesting fabric from a jacket, making covered welt cord or piping, and how to professionally stitch it around your fabric pieces and attach the two ends together.
You need:
1 or 2 cleaned plaid garments (good colors)
scissors
pillow form
welt cord
welt cord or zipper foot
sewing machine
curved needle
fabric for the back of the pillow
Here’s how to get some fabric from the jackets.
1. Open up jacket, cut out the lining and find a large enough piece of the fabric to cut out a pillow front.
2. Using a quilters ruler, cut 1 3/4″ strips on a large section of a garment where you can cut it at a diagonal.
3. Add a nifty welt cord foot to your sewing machine or you can use a zipper foot. Check out this foot with two arches underneath it so I can sew single and double welt cord.
4. Stitch cut strips together to make welt cord. Snip off threads and cut seam allowance to 1/2″ where strips are joined together.
5. Beginning at bottom center of the right side of the plaid, stitch cording in place, clipping the cording seam allowance at the corners so the cording will turn easily.
6. Now just look at the photos to see how to attach the two ends of the cording at the bottom of the pillow. This technique is used on all pillows, cushions, ottomans and other upholstered pieces that have covered welt cord.
There are so many good things about doing a project like this.
You help Goodwill (a very worthy cause)
You recycled garments into a newly usable product
You designed and created your own pillow
You learned how to cover welt cord and stitch it in place
You added a little spark of plaid to your room. A little plaid goes a long way but a touch of plaid really adds some upbeat color and pattern.
You can also come across some barely used down filled pillow forms at Goodwill for a fraction of the cost of a new down filled pillow insert.
Pillow Talk: Contrasting Tailored Flange
July 21st, 2009
Soft pillows thrown haphazardly on the old wicker or rattan just beg you to have a seat and and take a load off. However, if your well worn lake cabin pillows look a little bedraggeled, run over to the flea market, find some vintage fabric and spend a rainy morning making some jazzy new porch pillows complete with a contrasting flange for guaranteed relaxation.
All You Need:
pillow form
3/4 yard of fabric
1/2 yard of fabric for the flange
straight edge
rotary cutter
straight pins
scissors
sewing machine
If you want a 1 1/2″ flat flange, you’ll cut 4″ strips of of constrasting fabric
on the diagonal using a straight edge and, for ease, a rotary cutter.
1. Pin strips of flange fabric together, crossing them as pictured, right side to right side and stitch at a diagonal.
2. Cut off excess seam allowance to 1/2″, press seam open and press long seam open and press entire strip flat. Fold in two lengthwise and press. Stitch together at a 1/2″ seam allowance.
3. Open stitching on one end and fold end under. Pin and stitch flange piece around entire right side of one side of the pillow, starting at the center bottom of the pillow.
4. Place other side of the pillow on top, right sides together, pin together leaving a 10″ opening at the center of the bottom for inserting the pillow. Stitch all around the pillow, cut the corners at a diagonal making sure not to cut through the stitching. Turn the pillow cover right side out and insert your pillow form.
5. Follow directions in yesterday’s post on closing and stitching the opening to the pillow.
Pillow Talk: Pleated Grosgrain Trim
July 20th, 2009
To kick off our full week of Pillow Talk, today we’re sewing purchased trim into the seam allowance of a pillow we’re making for Kate’s room. It can be easy if the trim is flat and obedient. However, trying to sew fat braided cord into a pillow seam can bring on a huge headache. Today we’re using pink pleated grosgrain ribbon trim purchased from Calico Corners and stitching it into the seam of a cute polka dot pillow. Read the rest of this entry »
Make a No Sew Fold and Glue Garden Bench Cushion
June 10th, 2009
Check out this easy as pie, no sew, fold and glue (seriously) garden bench full tutorial with lots of photos that I posted over on Curbly. It only takes about 45 minutes to have your garden all adorned and looking Anthropologie-esque.
Make a Button Pillow
May 7th, 2009
For a step by step tutorial showing you exactly how to recreate an H & M-esque Home Collection button pillow, check out Curbly.
Morrocan Side Table from Wooden Spool
April 5th, 2009Here’s a tutorial I did for my column in The Indy Star back in September 2008.
DIY: Make Your Own Modern Chevron Upholstery Fabric
July 20th, 2008No, this isn’t a blanket hanging on the fence. Just a handy place to snap a picture of my newly sewin chevron fabric. I may dress up a low, rectangular coffee table with some white lacquer legs and turn this into an upholstered coffee table. The black and white striped fabric was a remnant and, believe it or not, it isn’t outdoor fabric, it’s simply striped upholstery fabric. This was one of the few times I found exactly what I was looking for.
To see the entire tutorial, check out http:/http://www.curbly.com/ModHomeEcTeacher/posts/4852-DIY-Sew-Your-Own-Chevron-Upholstery-Fabric/ or http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Your-Own-Chevron-Design-Upholstery-Fab/Striped fabric ready to take a 45 degree turn.
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