Throw Pillow Throw Down Day 2

 Today we have 3 exciting pillow tutorials!

#1 - Pieced Chevron Throw Pillow from Shannon at Sewing Barefoot.  Shannon is a full time interior designer who loves being crafty and creative.  She has inspiring tutorials from painting to sewing to quilting. Check out her blog!  She also hosts a linky party every Sunday.  Click HERE for her Chevron Pillow tutorial.

#2 Sewing an Invisible zipper
I know there are lots of tutorials out there for how to do this, but sometimes it helps to see many different versions of the process before you tackle one yourself.  This is my version :)  Click HERE

#3 - Strippy Quilted Monogram pillow. 
My pillow tutorial is being featured over at the Therm O Web Blog.  I LOVE their products and I would be completely lost with out their Heat N Bond Lite!!  Click HERE for the tutorial

Sewing an Invisible Zipper {tutorial}

 

 

First off, I am loving my fabric from xo.gigifabrics.  This fabric is called Tulips in Fern by Westminster Fabrics.  Love the colors!

I got together with my friend, Jennifer (Jennifer Sews Again) for some serious sewing instruction: Mastering the invisible zipper.  Oh yeah, I bet you can't think of a funner way to spend the day!!  It's not really that hard.  In fact, I sewed 3 pillows with invisible zippers in one afternoon!  Are you ready?  Put on your thinking caps.

Preparation: Decide what size pillow you are making.  I usually measure my pillow form and add 1 inch.  My form was 18" so I cut two 19" squares. 

Zipper - I like to buy my zippers longer than I need so I can cut off the extra and not worry about how it will fit.   I did not use the special invisible zipper foot - I don't own one. 

This instruction will show you how to sew the zipper in the bottom seam of your pillow.

 Make sure to start and stop at the 2 1/2" mark.  Now, pin the other side of the zipper to your other square of fabric.

This next step can seem tricky.  You are going to put on your zipper foot  and sew a seam that will close up that 2 1/2" space on both sides of the zipper.  Below I have shown exactly where your seam should be and where it should start.  Notice it starts about 1/2 inch from where the first seam ends.  It is ok that the seams don't meet up.  When you press the pieces, it will lay really flat.  In fact, the closer you get to the first seam, the more pucker-y it will be.

Pieced Chevron Pillow from Sewing Barefoot

Hi all! My name is Shannon and I blog over at Sewing Barefoot, a blog filled with diy tutorials, design ideas and fun projects to tackle in your free time.  I'm a full time interior designer who loves anything crafty and creative. My husband and I can usually be found with a can of spray paint in hand or searching for our next project in a local antique store. We love bringing new life to items that seem to have been forgotten and enjoy filling our home with one-of-a-kind "treasures." We are currently working on restoring a mid-century modern dining table and chairs.

I am thrilled to be sharing my chevron pillow tutorial with you today... I hope you enjoy it!

I'm a "small project" kind of girl. I like to start something and finish it within a reasonable amount of time. When I stumbled on this Chevron Quilt tutorial I was so amazed that I knew I had to try it. For me, a quilt was too big of an undertaking. I decided that a pillow would be a great way to test it out without the commitment to a large project. I have large project commitment issues. If you'd like to make a chevron pillow, follow along :) ___________________________________ Here is what you'll need: 2 fat quarters (complimentary fabrics) for the front enough fabric for the back panel of the pillow (mine was 17" x 17") straight pins rotary cutter & mat sewing machine pillow form zipper (optional) ___________________________________

*** NOTE: I had a bunch of old pillows on hand, so I made my cover to fit a 16" pillow form ***

[1] I really didn't know what would be the best size block to make, so I decided that a 3" block sounded good. To get a 3" block (using 1/4" seam allowance) I cut 1 3/4" strips of both fabrics. I then sewed the 2 fabrics together to get long strips. I then pressed my seems flat.

[2] Once I had about 7 or 8 strips sewed, I started cutting them into the 3" blocks. As I cut them, I laid them out into my chevron pattern. I did this by turning each square about a quarter turn from the ones adjacent to it.

[3] Once I had enough squares, I started sewing them together. I started by sewing the squares in each diagonal row together end on end. Once all of my rows were sewn together, I started sewing the long rows together. I worked block by block until everything was connected. It helped to have all of my blocks laid out in the correct pattern - that way, I could just pick up the next one in line. It helped to cut out any confusion.

[4] Once everything was sewn together, ironed everything nice and flat and cut off the extra points on all sides of my fabric to get nice straight edges. You want to end with a piece of fabric that is 1" bigger than your pillow form. In my case, my chevron front was about 17" (for a 16" finished pillow).

[5] After the front was assembled, the rest was a piece of cake. I sewed my zipped pillow cover (using a full piece of my grey fabric for the back) and admired my new pillow:

Throw Pillow Throw Down Begins Today!

 I am so excited for this week!  I have been working on lots of fun pillows and working with lots of fun people to get this throw down started!  This will not be a "Throw Down" in the sense that there are winners and looser, I hate to see people cry :)  Just fun tutorials every day.  "Who can't use a few more pillows around the house"....(said no husband ever!)

Here are today's three features - its all about fast & easy and sewing with kitchen linens: napkins, placemats, and towels!

 Napkin Pillow Tutorial

 Placemat Pillow

Kitchen Towel Pillow

Napkin Pillow

 This is a fast, easy way to make a throw pillow.  Google "napkin pillow" and you will see lots of ideas.  There are different ways to construct this pillow, here is how I made mine:

You will need 2 cloth napkins.  I bought these bird ones at Kohls.

Keep in mind we are working with cloth napkins.  Have you ever folded cloth napkins before?  They never match up.  Don't freak out if your napkins are not perfectly square.  Press the wrinkles out of the napkins.  Choose 2 that match up the best.

Find a pillow that best fits the size of the napkin.  The pillow & the napkin should be very close to the same size.

 

 With wrong sides together, pin around the border of your napkin.  Of course, you can sew right sides together and turn the pillow;  I wanted a little border on the edge of my pillow.

I sewed a seam along the very edge of the napkins, then a second seam along the hem of the napkin.  This created a little border.  Make sure to leave most of the bottom open so you can insert your pillow.

 Insert your pillow.  The way I am making this pillow does not allow for easy washing of the pillow covering.  I am OK with that.   If I really need to wash it, I can rip out the seam.  I would have put a zipper, but there was too much bulk with all the hems of the napkin.

 Pin the opening closed.  Sew a double seam on the sewing machine.  It was a little tricky holding the pillow and maneuvering the sewing at the same time - it can be done!

Here you can see the 2 seams.

 I loved my pillow so much, I sewed a second one.  The fabric is soft and they feel so comfortable!

Placemat Pillow

This is the easiest way to make a pillow - EVER!  You can time it - it's about 10 minutes.  There are lots of examples all over the internet - just Google "Placemat Pillow."  I love this turquoise one from A Pumpkin and a Princess.  The rosette added to the pillow is darling.

Here is how you make your own.  Get a placemat.  I bought this one at Kohls.  They have a pretty good selection of placemats.  I always see random placemats for sale and now I know what to do with them!  Snatch them up as you find them!

 Get your seem ripper and rip about a 4" section of the seam - enough to get your hand in.

 Using your favorite fiber-fill, stuff the opening until it is the desired fluffiness.

 Pin the opening closed and sew along the edge of the pillow.  My placemat had a double seam, so I sewed 2 seams.

 Done!  This placemat was kind of a stiff-durable fabric.  Not the kind of pillow I would want to watch TV with, but perfect for my bench on my porch!