Pretty Placemat Pillow

So, I haven't posted anything in a while, but thanks you guys for sticking with me! I am so pleased to see I have 82 followers!! What the what?! And many of you leave me lovely comments too. It brings so much joy to my little heart. <3

Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean that I have not been gettin' busy with some projects, though I must admit I've slowed down. This project I'm going to share with you today is probably not even worth posting, but I am still kind of proud of it because I sewed something. That's right. I sewed something with a sewing machine! If you all are familiar with any of my projects from the past,  then you might have noticed that I tend to use stitch witchery or other iron-on tapes. Well, NO MORE because my amazing parents gave me a big girl sewing machine as a gift. It's the real deal, folks. I should have taken a pic just to prove it. But I digress...  

The project I am sharing today is a placemat pillow I sewed for the sofa. I have seen lots of these lovely pillows around blogland, so I had to try one myself. Here it is:

All you need is...

• 2 pretty placemats -- I bought mine from Target for $3 each.
• Stuffing -- I got this ingenious idea from This Thrifty House. You buy an inexpensive pillow (like mine was $2 from Walmart), and then you cut it open and use the stuffing. This is usually cheaper than buying stuffing on its own.
• Sewing supplies -- because the placemats are fairly thick, I would not recommend sewing this by hand.   

Because my placemat had pretty details on the sides, I sewed the 2 pillows together right side out, which is why the seams are visible. That may have been a mistake -- it looks sort of messy. 

Have you all made placemat pillows before? How did yours turn out?

I'm linking to...

Thrilling Thursdays @ Paisley Passions; Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths; Under $100 link party @ Beyond the Picket Fence

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All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

Warm and Comfy Sweater Pillow!

I had quite a bit of leftover cable knit sweater from my sweater candle cozie project, so why not make a pillow cover? Sweater pillows have been popping up in home decor stores as well as all over the blog world lately. And I can see why because they give you a warm comfy feeling whether you are resting your head on one or just staring at your handmade sweater pillow in admiration. 

Here is how mine turned out:

It was soo easy to make, even without a sewing machine! I simply placed my pillow form inside the body of the sweater--luckily, it was a perfect fit--and then cut one side and hand sewed two of the sides. 

I didn't turn the sweater inside out while I sewed, so it has kind of a rough edge. I'd like to say I did that for some creative unique reason, but honestly, I just wasn't really thinking. It's not bad, though! 

P.S. The husband really liked this one! That's saying something because his enthusiasm for my projects has waned recently, probably because I tend to strew unfinished projects throughout the house, not wanting to put them away until they are completely finished. Haha...oops! At least he's a good sport about it. I can make this one of my many New Year's resolutions.  

P.S.S. My little Heidz approves! She is an expert on all things comfort-related, so I value her opinion highly. (I am not crazy, I promise...okay, maybe a little dog crazy.) 

She was wearing her Christmas sweater because we just got back from taking our family Christmas portrait. Some dogs may feel humiliated when their owners make them wear clothes, but Heidi LOVES a snug little tee or sweater.

I also need to throw in a pic of my other cutie patootie, Jini. Otherwise, I would feel like I was leaving her out .

Yes, that is a leopard print Snuggie and my fleece jacket that she is laying on. She is my other comfort expert, if you can't tell. ;)

Thanks for looking! Check out these awesome linky parties:

New pillow!

I made a simple little pillow for the guest bedroom, and just thought I would share. 

It's amazing how much interest it adds to a room when you incorporate a little bit of fabric print. I'm loving this green flowery and retro-ish fabric I got from Joann's. I found it on the clearance rack, by the way -- even better!

I was busy, busy this past weekend working on tons of projects, and I ended up using this fabric quite a bit. I'll post pictures and tutorials soon! Thanks so much for reading!

Tutorial: How to make my version of the petal pillow

Yesterday, I was searching for some inspiration when I stumbled upon this lovely pillow by Cluck Cluck Sew.

Immediately upon seeing it, I knew I HAD to make one for our couch. I was so eager, in fact, that I headed directly over to Joann's fabric...after I finished up my work in the lab, of course. ;) (Okay, so maybe I didn't complete everything on my list.)

So, here is my version:

Mine doesn't make quite the same impact, but I think my pillow fits in well with the rest of the decor. It has a quiet elegance about it, I think, and the flower is the fun twist that catches your eye but does not hold it there. 

I am super impressed that Cluck Cluck Sew was able to make her pillow in 30 minutes, because my pillow took much, much longer. Although I'm a basically a novice when it comes to sewing (I got my first real sewing machine a few weeks ago), it's still pretty embarrassing how long it took me. Four hours. Yeah, I know.

Maybe it would have helped if my doggers hadn't viewed my sitting on the ground (cutting and sewing, mind you) as an invitation to play.

But who can say no to these two cuties?!

Someone - and I'm not pointing fingers -  thought the felt fabric I had laid out was for her.

Of course, they weren't always a nuisance - sometimes they tried to help momma out. Heidz even took it upon herself to hold the petals in place while I sewed rather than make me go to the trouble of sticking pins in them.

Okay, getting back to the pillow, here are the materials you will need:

• 1/4 yard of felt ($3)
• around 1/2 a yard of home decorating fabric ($5 @ $9.99/yard)
• cups of various sizes (already own)
• pillow (preferably an old one that you already own)
• fabric pen ($2.99)
• sewing machine or needle and thread (cost varies)
• scissors (already own)

And here are the steps to make a pillow similar to my toned-down version, if you will, of Cluck Cluck Sew's design…although her pillow is fabulous and her tutorial can be found here. 

FYI - The main differences between our designs is that, for better or worse, mine involved substantially fewer petal, three petal sizes as opposed to two, and I hand stitched my petals.