Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Making Pillows

I don't really toot my own horn all that much, but I have to on this post. I'm a genius. Seriously.

A little while back I did my placemat pillows, and I thought I was so smart. I received a bunch of comments telling me I was, and a few saying they had done the same thing. Sigh...so I'm not so original, even when I think I am. And I'm probably not the first one to come up with this next ingenious idea, but I refuse to google around to see if anyone else has done the same thing just yet. I'm basking in the awesomeness of being so smart.

So what is it already?! Well, the placemat pillows were great, but they had one downside. They're pretty small. It's hard to find large enough placemats to stuff for bigger accent pillows.  While I was pondering this in the placemat isle in Target, I couldn't help but notice the napkins section.  The napkins were exactly the colors I was looking for.  I took them out of the packaging, and a light bulb in my head went off.  Napkin Pillows!!

Those of you that have been following my blog for sometime know about my love of Fabri-tac.  From my bench cushion, key  art, placemat pillows, mini planter makover, and most recently the Nursery Monogram...anytime I need to sew something, I fake it with the magical stuff.  I think in fabri-tac.  Sad?!  Perhaps... convenient, most definitely!

Enough already...onto the tutorial!


Start with two napkins of the same size (mine were 20 x 20).  I used a brown napkin for the back, and the floral napkin for the front.


Place both napkins with the part you want showing towards each other.  Run a bead of fabri-tac along the hem / seam of the napkin and press together.  Repeat for three sides, making sure to keep your hem lines straight.


You should wind up with something looking like this.  Flip your new pillowcase right side out.


Then shove a pillow inside.  I actually had an old pillow that I haven't used for quite some time in a closet, so I shoved it in my pillow cover.


I did the last part two different ways to see which one I'd like better for future pillows.  You can either  run a bead of fabri-tac on the hem line and press it together to finish it off with a more crisp look like the pillow above...


Or you can fold over both hems and glue them together like you did the rest of the pillow.  Whichever you like better!


Here they are in their new home!


One last full room shot.  (Like what you see?  Check out my posts on painting the floors, building a daybed, building the second daybed, refinishing a sewing machine cabinet (one day I'll learn how to sew), and making over shelves I found at Goodwill.)  Next up on the pillow list is putting the two white pillows on the left side back into my living room.  I've already got the napkins ready!

The best part of all of this was the cost.  For the florally four pack of napkins, I paid $10, and for the brown I paid $8.  That'll make me four pillows, and these colors go perfectly with the rest of my house, so everything is interchangeable.  I already had the pillow inserts, so those cost me nothing!

Cost per pillow = $4.50.  Oh yeah!

Stay tuned for Friday's post...I'm hosting my very first giveaway for followers of Kara's Korner!

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I'm linking up to the parties in my sidebar...go see what everyone else is thriftily creating!



 

32 comments:

  1. I saw those same napkins and almost bought them for the exact same project! Great minds think alike, obviously! I'm hoping they'll go on sale so I can justify spending more on pillows since I already splurged on Waverly fabric for new sofa cushions.

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  2. I love the colors! Sewing really isn't that bad, I gave a friend her first lesson recently. You can do it!

    silverrosesewing.blogspot.com

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  3. I bet these are even softer than the placemats, fantastic idea! However, if I need more pillows I'm just going to take some of yours because you have lots. =)

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  4. Saw your link on 733... I bought some napkins awhile back at Pier 1 thinking I could figure out what to do with them but so far no luck... thanks to you, they are now going to be pillows! Thank you so much for the inspiration. Give sewing a try... I did, and am now addicted!

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog :)I LOVE your pillows! I hate sewing. I have never heard of fabri-tac. Does it really hold that well? I will have to try it out. I have some sewing projects I have been holding out on because I don't want to sew. Thanks for the tip!

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  6. The pillows look awesome! What a great idea, I love your room!
    I have a big favor to ask of you, recently I had a post on some weight that I lost and now there is a contest and I am in it. You win by getting the most votes so I really need your vote! Could you please go to my blog and follow the directions to vote? I can't thank you enough! Just click below and then vote!!!
    http://easypeasygrandma.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-shrug-and-great-contest.html

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  7. I totally love this new sew project! There are so many lovely placemats out there!

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  8. They are beautiful! Really, really beautiful! After I saw your placemats post, I went out and bought placemats, but I haven't stitch witcheried them yet. (When I do, I will link to you, of course.)Now, I think I will have to go pick up some fabric napkins too! :)

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  9. Those napkins are CRAZY CUTE!!!!!!!! Love it! Thanks so much for linking up to gettin' crafty on hump day :)

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  10. fabric-tac. must add that to my list of things to buy from craft store. i love the print on those napkins, and i can't believe they're big enough to shove that pillow in. that pillow was a good size!

    thanks for the comment on my fall stuff, and i'm obsessed with those tablecloths. i like the way the brown looks underneath so i am going to look for plain ones to put underneath, which is probably what you are supposed to do.

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  11. I love that you went from placemat pillows to napkin pillows! LOL! The fabric is just gorgrous and it looks fabulous with all the other pillows. Such a pretty space!

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  12. Add to list fabric-tac! Love this project!! Did you get the napkins from Target? They look very familiar. :)

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  13. Oh my goodness, I LOVE this! And I would die for those adorable benches/window nook! Thanks for checking out my Trapeze Frame! Come visit again sometime soon! :-) Have a wonderful weekend!

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  14. Wow these are great! Good job!!!!!!!

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  15. Kara, beautiful job!! I adore pillows they make such a difference!

    I have a new Giveaway from the French Basketeer I think you will love!

    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  16. You're right, I did laugh! Those look great though. You TOTALLY deserve a life time supply of Fabri-tac! hehe! What is that sewing machine of yours that you refinished doing these days??

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  17. Kara, woo hoo, I love it. And yeah don't ever google something you are about to do, thinking you are original, shoot, I swear everything has already been thought of, so I like you, go around thinking that I came up with it all myself, he he. Well technically it is original, if we've never seen it before right? I love your window seating, day bed, and all your pillows, and your blog looks GREAT. I am your newest follower, and girl I would LOVE if you came over and linked up some of your AWESOME great, AMAZING projects at my NEw Party. I appreciate all the support, and need it too :)

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  18. Alrighty then, well I knew your header looked familiar, yeah Im already a follower, well, there you go, you are so awesome, I can't help it, wanted to follow you twice. he he

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  19. You can absolutely continue to feel very smart! These are adorable, and so beautifully done.

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  20. I love this! I have those EXACT napkins from Target too, haha. Except, I don't use them as napkins either. They're napkins turned 'hand towels' to pretty up my kitchen towel holders. :) They look awesome as pillows! I might have to go buy an extra set and copy you, since my living is open to the kitchen. I could have matching pillow/hand towels.

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  21. I bought the big pillow that went with them in those colors. They were my inspiration for my master bedroom. It's still a work in progress though.

    I thought about buying the table cloth that goes with those napkins to make accessories. Great minds think alike. LOL.

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  22. GENIUS! They look great!!!! Thanks SO much for joining in on Thrilling Thursdays @ Paisley Passions. I hope to see you again next week :)
    ~Lori S.
    Thrilling Thursdays @Paisley Passions

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  23. These are great. Easy, inexpensive and beautiful.

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  24. That's a great idea! All your pillows look so pretty together.

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  25. I just found your blog through CSI! Love the pillows and ALL of your creative craftiness!! I can't wait to try this!

    Kirbi

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  26. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! Do you mind sharing where you got the striped pillow fabric and the green dot ones? Are those napkins also?
    Thanks so much!!!

    Robyn

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  27. Thanks Robyn! Actually, the green dot pillow covers were from Target...they were only $4.99, so they were too hard to pass up! The big green pillows (I think that's the striped pillow fabric you're referring to) actually came from Stein Mart. Hope that helps!

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  28. Fantastic. I too have become a fabri tac lover. Made some pillows too. You are so talented! April is guest blogger month at Doberman's by the Sea, would you be interested in doing a post? My readers would love you. Cheers

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  29. Quick question, I am going to build the beds for my 2 small boys and also build them in my newly finished family room (we converted our garage to a family room and 2 bedrooms). Where did you get the mattress or large pad for the top. Is it just a mattress, or is it a large pad, I'm so confused. I really don't want mattress' in my family room lol!

    Thanks

    ps you did an awesome job!

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  30. Thanks Sandy! It's actually a daybed mattress from Sam's Club. It's a lot thinner than a normal mattress. It's only 8'' high. They make the pads at Pottery Barn that you could use for the top too, but they're a bit more expensive. Mine from Sam's was something like $89. Best of luck building them!

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