How to Applique Words {LOVE YOU Pillow}

February 6, 2018 by 1 Comment

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I am a word-a-holic and I LOVE anything with words: signs, mugs, pillows, t-shirts, you name it!  I love adding words to my sewing projects and today I am going to show you how to do this start to finish! Today I’m sharing this pillow tutorial over at Diary of a Quilter!  Hop over to Amy’s blog to for the full instructions!

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Once the appliqué is finished you can turn it into a pillow using your favorite method; mine is a zipper closure on the back. For more information on inserting a zipper into a pillow, click HERE.

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Here is another example of a fun word appliqué project! Click HERE for the turorial.

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Filed Under: appliqué, FEATURED, pillow, Riley Blake, Therm O Web, Valentine's Day

Star Spangled Pillow

July 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Create a Star-Spangled Pillow

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Here is a fun and fast pillow to make for your 4th of July/Americana decor!  You’ll love how fast this canvas & denim pillow come together!!

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I’m thinking when it’s not summertime this pillow might live in the super hero kids room!!!

Star Spangled Pillow by Amanda Niederhauser aka Jedi Craft Girl

star pillow 6Star Spangled Pillow Supplies:

(2) 20″ squares of canvas/duck cloth

1/4 yard denim (mine is by Indigo Junction Crossroads Denim)

HeatnBond® Lite Fusible Adhesive

20″ pillow form

22″ or longer zipper

Star Pattern

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[line]Star Spangled Pillow Instructions:

Begin by tracing 10 stars onto the HeatnBond® Lite.

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Fuse to the wrong side of the denim.  Cut out each star and peel off the backing paper.IMG_2120

Arrange stars as desired.  Make sure that a few hang off the edges to create a continuous pattern look.  Heat set in place.  Trim off the excess star.
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Top stitch around each star.  I used a shiny taupe/gray color.IMG_2123

Once complete use this tutorial to sew an invisible zipper in the bottom and finish the pillow.IMG_2124

I am ao in love and ready for summer!!!!!

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Filed Under: 4th of July, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, pillow, Therm O Web

Quilt Petite Blog Hop

November 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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I’m so excited to be the next stop on the ‘Quilt Petite’ Blog Hop!!!  Sedef Imer of Down Grapevine has just released this adorable little quilt book! It is filled with the cutest projects and ideas – it’s just fun to look through again and again!

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It was difficult to choose just one project to feature here.  Since I am in full Christmas decorating mode, I thought a holiday twist would be fun!  I chose the Petal Burst Table Topper pattern, used traditional red and green colors, and turned it into a quilted pillow!  The fabrics I chose are from a variety of Bonnie & Camille fabric lines.

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To speed up the pillow making process, I choose to applique the petals with Heat n Bond Lite.

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Once the petals were fused, I sewed around each petal with matching thread.

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I quilted around the flower and then cut the pillow top down to 20″ square.

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To finish the pillow, I cut the pillow back 20″ and inserted a zipper toward the bottom.  I placed the pillow top and back wrong sides together and basted 1/8″ all the way around the pillow.  I then added binding – just like a normal quilt.  Once it was done I popped a 20″ pillow inside.  I LOVE it!!

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The blog hop goes until December 11th.   Check out this amazing list of quilt bloggers participating in the blog tour!  Be sure to visit Down Grapevine Lane for a chance to win a lovely package full of all kinds of goodies, including a copy of Quilt Petite! 
November 6: Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane
November 7: Wynn at Zakka Art
November 8: Sarah at A Little Happy Place
November 9: Bridgette at The Family Hearth
November 10: Heidi at Fabric Mutt
November 11: Minki at Minki’s Work Table
November 12: Ange at A Little Patchwork
November 13: Lauren at Molly and Mama
November 14: Michelle at Cole & Taffy
November 15: Nadra at Ellis & Higgs
November 16: Amy at Nana Company
November 17: Faith at Sarana Ave
November 18: Debbie at Happy Little Cottage
November 19: Erin at Why Not Sew
November 20: Amanda at Jedi Craft Girl
November 21: Melissa at Oh How Sweet
November 22: Stacy at Stacy Olson Design
November 23: Ayda at Cafe Nohut
November 24: Peta at She Quilts A Lot
November 25: Amanda at A Crafty Fox
November 26: Keera at Live Love Sew
November 27: Sharon at Lilabelle Lane
November 28: Kate at The Homemakery
November 29: Jemima at Tied With A Ribbon
November 30: Jodie at Ric Rac
December 1: Anorina at Samelia’s Mum
December 2: Alisha at Ministry of Fabric
December 3: Xanthe at Wife-made
December 4: Cheri at Tinker With This
December 5: Kristyne at Pretty By Hand
December 6: Kimberly at Fat Quarter Shop
December 7: Veronica at Vivid Felicity
December 8: Shari at Doohikey Designs
December 9: Jina at Jina Barney Designz
December 10: Emma at Emma Jean Jansen
December 11: Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane
Filed Under: Christmas, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, pillow

Black Cat Pillow Tutorial

October 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

black-cat-pillow-tutorialI need another pillow like I need a hole in the head!!  hahahaha!!   Who doesn’t need this silly cat pillow on their couch during the month of October!  I love looking into the family room and this kitty face is always smiling at me 🙂  Want to whip one up?  You only need about 1 hour!!

Supplies:

Heat n Bond® Lite (may use EZ print sheets)

(2) 20″ squares orange ticking for pillow body

Fat quarter solid black

scraps of white fabric, green fabric, and orange fabric

2.5 yards pom pom trim

zipper

20″ pillow form

Cat Pattern, click HERE

Project Instructions:

Begin by printing or tracing each of the pattern pieces to the Heat n Bond® Lite fusible applique. Cut around each piece about 1/4″ away from pattern.   Press the pieces to the wrong side of the desired fabrics with hot, dry iron.

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Peel off backing paper and position the cat head and face pieces on the right side of one of the 20″ orange ticking squares.  Center the cat.  Heat set in place.

With black thread, straight stitch around each of the applique pieces 3 times.  I only stitched around the cat head once because you can’t see the stitching.  Following the picture, add detail stitching for his teeth.

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Sew black buttons for the center of his eyes.

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He needs whiskers!!!!  I used a shiny light gray thread to stitch the whiskers.  You can draw them with a pencil first so you don’t mess up ?

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I only stitched the whiskers once and used a stay stitch to start and stop.

To finish the pillow, baste the pom pom trim around the pillow front, starting and stopping at the bottom center.

To finish the pillow, cut a 3″ strip off of the remaining 20″ square.

Sizzix Tutorial|Fish Bubbles - Nautical Throw Pillow by Amanda Niederhauser

This is where the zipper will go.  (If zippers make you run for the hills, you can finish this pillow using your favorite method. This just happens to be my favorite way to finish a pillow!)

Simply sew the zipper in and press.  This is now the pillow back!  With the zipper part way open, pin the pillow front to the pillow back, right sides together.  Using a 1/2″ seam, sew around the entire pillow.

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Turn right side out.

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I love silly black cats!!!

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Save

Filed Under: cat, FEATURED, Halloween, Heat n Bond, pillow

Spooky Pillow Covers

September 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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I love changing out my pillow covers for each season.  My living room is blacks and neutrals for Halloween so I wanted some pillows that didn’t scream cheesy Halloween (I put those in the family room!).  I found the plaid flannels at Joann Fabrics and the spooky tree print is from Cotton + Steel that I ordered from Fat Quarter Shop.  To learn more about sewing an invisible zipper in a pillow, read this.  It’s super easy and you can make a pillow cover in a matter of minutes!

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I love love love them!  They look great with my Hallow’s Eve quilt!!img_3614

Filed Under: fat quarter shop, FEATURED, Halloween, pillow

Card Shark Pillow Tutorial

September 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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And now a project for the guys!  I have a hard time finding projects to sew for my 13 year old son that are…… well….. not floral, cutsey, vintage, or girly which is pretty much most of my sewing!  When I saw this fun “card print” from Blend Fabrics I knew it was for my son the “Card Shark”!!!!

It’s the perfect gift for the card lover in your life!

Supplies:

1/2 yard card print fabric

1/3 yard solid gray

Heat n Bond Ultra

2 yards trim

Zipper

Fiberfill

Vinyl letters

Fabric Paint

Shark Pattern download

Begin by tracing the shark pattern (in reverse) on the Heat n Bond Ultra hold – you can also use Lite.

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Press to the wrong side of the card fabric.

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Cut out along the pattern line.

Cut the gray background fabric 12″ x 19″.  Peel off the backing paper and heat set the shark in place.  Sew around the shark in black thread.IMG_3459

Cut the backing fabric the same size as the front 12″ x 19″.IMG_3461

You can use the hand sew method for closing the pillow or you can do the zipper method which is my favorite.  Simply cut the backing fabric at 2″ and insert a regular zipper.IMG_3462

You can add the “Card Shark” words with stitching or you can create your own stencil.  I cut the letters on my Cricut machine in vinyl.  I peeled off the letters to leave the stencil.  I used fabric paint to stencil and removed the vinyl when it was dry.  IMG_3463

Once the letters are on you can assemble the pillow.  Baste the trim to the pillow front.  Then with right sides together place the pillow front and back and sew all the way around using a generous 1/4″ seam.  Make sure to leave the zipper open before you sew.  Turn right side out and stuff with fiberfill.

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Filed Under: Blend Fabrics, FEATURED, Heat n Bond, pillow, Uncategorized

Holiday Wishes Blog Tour

July 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

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I am totally loving this new book by Sherri Falls called Holiday Wishes!  The patterns are so inspiring and they make you want to sew!  I choose the gingham star block from her book and made some much needed throw pillows for my family room.

Holiday Wishes Book

 

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I always write about only using 20″ pillows in my home.  However, my family loves Euro pillows in the family room.  The old ones were headed to the trash and I was so thrilled to make some new ones!

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I bought these 24″ square Euro pillows.  They were a little too full so I made a small opening in the pillow and took out some stuffing.

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I had purchased this Fruta y Flor fabric by Free Spirit and have been waiting to use it in my family room!!  I am so in love with it!

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I followed the pattern exactly and then added a border so the pillow top would be 24″ square.  I can’t wait to make an entire quilt with these blocks!!  I’m so in love!!!!!

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I used Spray n Bond to baste my pillow fronts – it makes quilting so easy!IMG_9621

I quilted all-over swirls on both of the pillow tops.    If you want more info on how to finish the pillow read this tutorial and this tutorial.IMG_9650

I love how they turned out – and yes they are pretty big!!IMG_9651

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Filed Under: fat quarter shop, FEATURED, pillow

From Porto With Love Pillows

July 12, 2016 by 3 Comments

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I am thrilled to be part of The Summer Sewing Series by Melissa from PolkadotChair.  For me summer sewing is about catching up on all the little projects I can’t get to during the school year.  This last week I sewed 13 new pillow covers for throw pillows around my house.  Today I am sharing my latest pillow covers with you 🙂summer-sewing-series

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Meet From Porto With Love by Cotton + Steel.  Only my NEW FAVORITE FABRIC!!!  These large scale cats have my heart swooning!  I knew I needed some pillows!  I love the heavy weight of this canvas print – perfect for home decorating!  I kept the design super simple because I wanted the cats to be the focal point.  I used Crossroads denim for the accent strips and the pillow back.  This is the softest denim in the whole world!!from porto with love 2
Mufasa was very helpful in making the pillows.  Follow the diagrams below for cutting instructions.  All seams are 1/4″

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Sew the side strips on, press.  Then sew the top and bottom strips on, press.

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Sew each strip together and press.

Each pillow top finishes 20″ square, the exact size of my down throw pillows. (I like to use all the same size pillows so I can switch them out easily….I learned this the hard way!)

To finish the pillows, cut a 20″ square for the pillow back and insert an invisible zipper along the bottom seam of the pillow.  Click HERE to learn how to sew an invisible zipper in a pillow.

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I am so in love with these!!!!!  They are soft and slouchy!!from porto with love 3

I love how they look with my gingham pillows!!!  from porto with love 6  Freshening up your pillow decor is such a great summer activity – it doesn’t take very long but it makes you feel so happy to have something new in your home.

Filed Under: FEATURED, pillow

Captain America Throw Pillow Tutorial

July 4, 2016 by 1 Comment

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What does your daughter give her Captain America loving friend for her birthday?  After realizing the friend owns everything Captain America we created this fun pillow with the Captain America shield appliqued on it.  I used Crossroads Denim so it’s super soft, Heat n Bond Lite and some fabric scraps.  Do you want to make one too?  Here’s how!!

 

Supplies:

(2) 20″ pieces of Crossroads Denim

2 fat quarters red prints

2 fat quarters white prints

1 fat quarter blue print

1 yard Heat n Bond Lite or Feather Lite

20″ pillow (I like down pillows)

22″ zipper

4″ x 20″ strip for zipper flap

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Begin by tracing the circles onto the Heat n Bond Lite.  We ran around the house measuring everything to find a 12″ circle and a 10″ circle because they are too large to print.  We found a cake plate and a dinner plate did the trick.

captain american pillow 3For the 8″, 6″, and star shape you can click HERE to download.  Cut around each circle about 1/4″ away from the pencil line.

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A little trick for layerd applique to prevent too much bulk:  Cut the inside of the circle about 1″ away.  It will look like this:

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You really only need the Heat n Bond to hold down the edges.  The circles will be layered on top of each other and it will keep everything secure.  Continue doing this with each of the circles.

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Position the circles as shown above.  Straight stitch around each circle and star 2 times.  I used red thread.  captain american pillow 4

Make sure your cat approves 🙂   To finish the pillow you can follow this tutorial for inserting a zipper and zipper flap to a pillow back.

captain american pillow 10Insert the pillow form and you’re done!  Ready to wrap and head to the party!!  captain american pillow 9

Filed Under: captain america, FEATURED, pillow, Therm O Web

Pretty Playtime Quilts Teapot Block Pillow

July 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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Today is my turn on the Pretty Playtime Quilt Blog Tour!  I love this sweet pattern book by Elea Lutz!  (Juicy tidbit…..Elea and I once spent a wild night together at an 80’s dance club!!!)  The patterns for this entire quilt are in the spiral bound book available from Fat Quarter Shop.  You can make the sampler quilt or you can get creative with the blocks!Screen Shot 2016-07-03 at 10.00.13 PMThe fabrics used in the pattern book are from Elea’s fabric line Strawberry Biscuit.Screen Shot 2016-07-03 at 9.59.54 PM

I choose to make a throw pillow out of the teapot block.IMG_9424

I sewed the block exactly like the pattern instructed.  I love how the instructions are super easy to read and the diagrams make sewing the block a snap.  I added a 1.5″ border around the teapot followed by a 3.5″ floral border.  IMG_9416

I quilted the entire block like you would a mini quilt.  I trimmed it down to measure 20″ square.  Before adding the binding I sewed a 20″ x 20″ back with a zipper.  IMG_9412

I basted the quilted front to the pillow back wrong sides together with a 1/8″ seam all the way around.  Then I added the binding just like you would a quilt.IMG_9409

I inserted a 20″ down pillow form.  It’s super soft and perfect for propping your head while reading or watching a movie 🙂IMG_9414

Be sure to check out a new block from a new designer each week!  You will love all the inspiration!

Week 2 – Erin from Why Not Sew?
Week 3 – Wynn from Zakka Art
Week 4 – Anorian from Samelia’s Mum
Week 5 – Amy from Diary of a Quilter
Week 6 – Renee from Sewn with Grace
Week 7 – Jemima from Tied with a Ribbon
Week 8 – Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl
Week 9 – Debbie from Happy Little Cottage
Week 10 – Tina from Emily Ann’s Kloset
Week 11 – Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting
Week 12 – Kristyne from Pretty by Hand
Week 13 – Heidi from Fabric Mutt
Week 14 – Brigitte from The Family Hearth
Week 15 – Lorrie from Sew Mod Designs
Week 16 – Kristin from They Grow Up Too Fast

Filed Under: fat quarter shop, FEATURED, Penny Rose Fabrics, pillow