This week has been a flurry of DIY activity in the Mustard Seed household and my guest room is almost completed. This was a totally unexpected makeover that grew out of one idea, but aren't those the best? Here's a little sneak peak for you...
Such a tease, I know. A makeover that started out with painting and construction soon called on my sewing skills. I made these curtains with upholstery webbing trim...
...and I made a coordinating ruffled pillow for the bed. This is the tutorial I'm going to share with you today.
First of all, measure the pillow you want to cover. In my case, it was a standard bed pillow that measured 19x24". Measure and cut your fabric, making sure you leave about an inch seam allowance. For my pillow I cut two 20x25" pieces of fabric, one for the front and one for the back.
For a 2" ruffle cut out 5" wide strips, long enough to go around the pillow at least three times. The fuller your ruffle is the better it will look. Skimpy ruffles can make your pillow look cheap. Sew all of your strips together to make one long strip of fabric. Make sure you sew the rights sides together and the pattern is facing the same direction.
Fold the fabric strips length-wise, right sides together and press them. I know ironing is not a favorite chore for most people, but this step is important. It holds your fabric in a nice fold and makes it so much easier to work with. Also press your seams open, so they lay flat.
Line up the pieces of your fabric for the body of the pillow right sides together. Put one end of your long strip of fabric inside the pillow with the raw edges lined up with the raw edges of the pillow fabric. Pinch the fabric strip to gather it together and create a ruffle. Pin it in place. Work your way around the pillow until it's all pinned, leaving an opening at the bottom of the pillow that's large enough for inserting your pillow form. Sew it all together and turn it right-side-out. Are you still with me?
Insert your pillow form and close up the opening using the remaining strip fabric.
Pin it closed and then hand sew it shut. Use a thread that closely matches your fabric and you'll hardly see the stitches.
Where the two ends of the fabric strip meet, put one piece inside the other and fold in the raw edges. Pin it and hand sew the ends together.
I know there are loads of ways to do a ruffle, but this is the way I do it and it doesn't involve any hand stitching and pulling threads and all of that stuff. This pillow style looks fancy, but it only takes about 45 minutes to an hour to make.
I am bursting at the seams to show you the rest of the guestroom, but it's my SYTYCD entry for this week, so you'll have to come back on Sunday to check it out.
The Furniture Feature Friday link party (below) is open through Saturday night, so join in if you have anything to share!
The Furniture Feature Friday link party (below) is open through Saturday night, so join in if you have anything to share!
