Pillow Covers {Tutorial} + Giveaway!

Whew! What a fantastic Christmas! For us, it was simple and sweet and just downright great. I usually dread this time of year for a variety of reasons but this was so nice that I might not cry come next December.

So what about you? Excited for New Years? Did you get any sweet home bar furniture to spruce up the place for your next party? I'm totally digging this pink one:

Any good sewing things? Tell ya what, just incase there was something you wanted but didn't get, I'm giving away a gift certificate to CSN stores so that you can get whatever it is your little heart desires! Just comment at the end of this post and tell me what was the best "thing" you GAVE this year. (Totally doesn't have to be a "thing" - you know what I mean!)

Contest open to US addresses only. Sorry Charlie, CSN rules. I'll announce the winner next year.... January 1st!

And now onto the (crazy easy and mega fast) pillow cover tutorial!

Supplies:

Batting

Fabric - can be same, contrasting front and back, whateves

All the normal sewing machine stuff

Pillow form - measure that ahead of time so you know what size to make the cover.

Skill level:

Totally beginner. Way fun and good for instant gratification.

A friend recently asked me to make three linen pillow covers as a Christmas gift to her sister. Oh linen! I love how it looks but it is a tad bit high-maintenance with its wrinkles and wiggly edges. I chose a 100% linen of medium weight.

Since I like a nice soft cushy pillow, I back my pillow covers with batting. I first cut my batting to the exact size of the pillow form (18" x 18" in this case). This is probably the most important step if you are using linen because the batting (I use Warm and White) holds its shape better than the crazy wiggly linen. Perfectly square batting will ensure you will end up with an evenly-shaped pillow cover.

Exhibit A: Batting.

Next - cut the front of the pillow cover the exact same size. (18" x 18")

For the back (envelope closure), cut two panels 18" x 12". (Or if using a different size pillow form, make sure that the panels will overlap by at least 4")

(If you are in a real hurry, use the selvedge edges as the "hemmed" edges and sew around the raw edges when making your cover. So for example, cut the selvedge at 18" in length and put that in the middle - NOT on the outside - when we start stacking all the layers.)

Now we stack.

First - batting.

Next - front - right side up

Finally - panel one raw edges lined up on the left and panel two lined up on the right - right sides down.

Hemmed/Selvedge edges in the middle.

(psst- I have a more in-depth tutorial here with better pictures should you need a little more visual guidance.)

Stacked? Edges all lined up nice and neat? Let's sew, daddio!

You will probably want to pin just to make sure everybody stays in place. I also use a walking foot for this since there are a lot of layers and room for a lot of shifting about.

So you sew about 1/4" all the way around. For linen I did almost 1/2" since it tends to fray. It really doesn't matter - just rock it out. Make sure you catch all the layers all the time. You'll know if you didn't once you turn it right side out. :) --And don't worry, you can totally go back and fix it. No biggie.

Ok, so you have sewn all the way around. No need to leave an opening for turning since that's what the envelope closure will do.

Turn that puppy right side out and you can be done at this point. Totally less than an hour, right?!

Should you choose to dress it up a bit (and also help the pillow to stand up straigher), you can sew a little "faux piping" around the edge.

Just sew all the way around it again, this time on the right side. By using your walking foot and making it as narrow as possible (1/4" is fine), you can have instant piping! (Should you want to do the real deal with piping, check out my previous tutorial.)

Ok, so like an hour and 2 minutes? Easy peezy!

Don't forget to comment for the CSN Giveaway! Happy New Year if I don't check back in this week. You never know...

Ooooh, ottomans in October! + Giveaway!

So I made this slip cover for my ottoman at home. I highly recommend washing it before posting pictures on the web for others when showing off your future new ottoman slip cover! I have washed it many times but apparently that was long ago...

Excuse me while I shrink that picture down to a microscopic level so that the filth is a little less noticeable.

If you are not in the mood for making one on your own, CSN stores would like to help supply you with a new (clean) ottoman coffee table.

Aren't they fab?! Of course if you are more the DIY kind of gal you can still enter to win the amazing $35 gift certificate to any of their oodles of stores to get something else like a bird feeder (my new obsession) or maternity clothes . Yeah, so... I kinda need some of those these days!!


Sorry, I always end up making these about me. ANYHOO, if you would like to be entered in the random drawing for the CSN gift certificate (and I highly recommend that you do!) please leave a comment here about a time when you got caught with a dirty house so I don't feel so bad about mine. Contest only open for US addresses, please. I will use random.org to find us a winner on HALLOWEEN, October 31st.


In other news... I have finished the circle quilts! They will be displayed in all their circle glory for Blogger's Quilt Festival coming up.

And probably the coolest thing ever done with a pumpkin (other than figuring out to make it into a pie), my dear friend surprised me with this.

How fun is that?! She actually broke out the drill for me! Way cool.
Don't forget to enter the giveaway now that I've distracted you with other news. :)

PS. Welcome Giveaway Scout peeps! I'm so excited to be listed with other fun blog giveaways and contests. Have a look around and by all means... enter that contest! Thanks for stopping by!

May GIVEAWAY Day!

Thanks for stopping by for Giveaway Day -- We have a winner!! 296 comments... awesome! Thanks, everyone!

Random.org generated...

#53 - Amanda from little cumulus

CONGRATS!

**BUT there is still time to enter the CSN Giveaway. Winner drawn Friday! GO GO GO!!!



I have been crankin' out the quilts this year and have lots of scraps to prove it! From Amy Butler, Tina Givens, Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry, and more.

Smile if you love Giveaway Day!

Want great designer fabric for free? Do ya, do ya?

Just a small smattering of those included

Well, just leave a comment here and Iz will pull a winner out of the hat on Thursday, May 20th. Sorry, only US addresses are up for this one. Postage stinks. Sorry. Really!

Back of LOVE quilt

Be sure to check back later this week ... a very differnt giveaway will be happening. All I'm gonna say is it rhymes with schmentertainment schmenter.

Giveaway + Giveaway = Lucky YOU!

Hello dearest bloggy friends!

This post will have very little to do with sewing. Partly because I'm fighting with some very unsticky tape whilst basting. Grrrr. So really, I'm not in the mood to blog about wasting time taping and watching the tape untape itself then running around the house looking for more unsticky tape only for the cycle to repeated over and over again....

White masking tape=bad. Blue painter's tape = good.

Remember I did this Quilt As You Go method to SAVE TIME.

Anyhoo, since I'm a little sour over tape hopefully this will cheer us all up... ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

Because I'm in a non-sewing mood, let's talk about... oh I don't know... entertainment centers! Racks and Stands.com has oodles of options for old school TVs and those of you with new-fangled skinny TVs. Personally, my (very) old school TV is shoved in a corner of the room behind the couch, blocking the lower left quarter of the screen. Which makes it quite humerous to me that this giveaway features something that I want but can't have.... oh so close!


So if any of you have a similar problem or would just like a sweet update, leave a comment here and I'll have Iz pull a winner out of the hat Friday morning. The winner will receive a $40 gift certificate to use in any CSN stores (US and Canadian addresses only, please).

GIVEAWAY #2... May 17th is Sew Mama Sew's MAY GIVEAWAY DAY! I'm giving away some fabric. CLICK ON THIS to enter that one.

Both contests open to US and Canadian residents only.

And I saved the best for last... Happy Birthday, friend! (It would be totally rad of you to send her some birthday love!)

Isn't that picnic blanket of hers adorable?!

Sewing for boys {GIVEAWAY!}

Recently something very strange happened. One of my friends had a baby and it wasn't a girl. It was a .... what do you call it?... B -b-boy. Yes, that's it. She had a boy. Don't see many of them around here, so I tend to forget they have sewing needs too. A little more difficult to find boyish fabric and think of something to make that is not a skirt or dress, but I think I found my go-to handmade boy gift.

Seriously, look at him!! Anybody seen my briefcase?

I found the pattern on Etsy. I found it to be... well, a pattern. I can't follow one to save my life. Honestly, I have no clue what's wrong with me. I never buy patterns, but I thought this was so cute, I would take the time to figure it out.
So I purchased it and finally got up the nerve to try it out during a late-night sew-in with a friend. I knew I would need the support, so I waited until someone was with me. There's just something about reading it aloud to someone, saying "Listen, this does not make any sense..... Oh wait, nevermind."


After about three hours of White Russians (the drink, not people), a brownie-peanut butter crockpot goo (oh baby), and lots of sewing merriment... the tie was made. I'm thinking it would take a normal person (clearly I am not) about an hour or two. The pattern was well-illustrated, of which I was very appreciative. Nothing helps a non-pattern follower more than a bunch of pictures. There were seriously pictures of every step.

Ok, so I made it a little long. I was kind of winging the size, but he can grow into it. There is elastic that goes around the neck so it can stretch over his sweet little head. The length can be adjusted somewhat, but the back of the tie is pretty much as low as it can go. I'm sure the process will go faster as I learn how to do it better. It's worth the effort because it is so very cute! I'm really pleased with the pattern overall and do recommend sewing one up for the little men in your life.

And now for the good stuff! DeLynne over at diy by dainty couture (where I purchased the pattern) is offering one of my readers a FREE PATTERN of your choice. No worries if you don't have boys around either, she has plenty of skirts, dresses, and other great patterns. Mr Random Number Generator will pick our winner on Sunday - Mother's Day! All you have to do is leave a comment about mothers. Being a mom, having a mom, wishing you had someone else's mom, etc. ;) It's a PDF file, so the winner will receive their free pattern soon after the giveaway closes at midnight Saturday night. Instant and free.... sweet!

In other sewing news... Pastel Quilt #2 is done! Good-bye you bland, lifeless colors.

Quilt-as-you-go updates on the way. Almost done with the "quilting" part, about to start on the "as you go" process.