I am officially obsessed with sewing, and I can hardly believe it. It's amazing how enjoyable it can be when you work with a machine that actually does what it's supposed to do. My old machine jammed up every time I sewed and it was a nightmare to rethread. My new machine sews through everything with ease and threads like a dream. I'm changing presser feet, thread, and winding bobbins like a mad woman - so so happy I am.
I finished the girls Caroline dresses earlier this week and already have 3 more sewing projects lined up. I'm looking forward to having some quality sewing time over the long weekend. Nightgowns, simple sundresses and recycled jean skirts are all on the list!
Last weekend the girls and I had a girls' day out and went and picked out fabric for their dresses and for some pillows for their playhouse. I caught them using bean bags as pillows in there one day and had to rectify that situation. ha! We picked this striped fabric to match the playhouse accent colors (green and pink), and now they're so cute that I feel like I should put them in my living room and redecorate everything around 'em. They were sitting next to a vase full of sunflowers in my kitchen and it made me so happy. Maybe someday we'll crazy and redecorate in a bright color scheme - not after just repainting the dining room cool blue, though.
I sewed these like I sewed the kids' nap pillows, with an overlap in the back (for easy washing). The pillow forms are 16x16" and the instructions I found called for 18x18" panels. After I sewed them, I realized that I prefer a tighter fit, so I think 17x17" panels would have worked better.
So, for a 16x16" pillow, you'd cut the following:
(1) 17x17" piece
(2) 10.5x17" pieces
Steps
1) Sew the side edges of the back flaps by folding/pressing 1/2" and then folding/pressing 1/2" again. Stitch along the folded edge. Repeat for second back piece.
2) Place 17x17" piece right side up on table. Place one 10.5x17" piece right side down on top of square piece on left side and second 10.5x17" piece on top of square on right side. (Back pieces should overlap.)
3) Pin to secure.
4) Sew around the outside edge of the pillow using a 1/2" seam.
5) Cut corners off.
6) Zig zag stitch around edges (optional).
7) Turn right side out (chopsticks work great on the corners).
*Tip: I have trouble concentrating unless my work space is neat and clean, so I've adopted Rachel Ray's garbage bowl idea for jewelry making and now sewing. Makes it so much easier to concentrate!
I'm going to try to stop searching for cute patterns online now and try to finish up some work. Tomorrow afternoon starts the long holiday weekend - yahoo!
