Throw Pillow Covers

So I told you recently that I've been trying my hand at sewing.  I finally completed some place mats that I started over a year ago.  Then I jumped right into making a stand/case for my Kindle.  I'm now looking into the possibility of making some curtains for our home.  We have blinds up on almost every window but only one has curtains.  And blinds for our big picture window in the living room would cost almost as much as we paid for the window!  Yikes!

In the meantime, I kept seeing tutorials for napkin pillow covers.  They looked easy enough so I thought I'd give them a try.

I went to our local home store and found napkins on clearance for 50 cents each.  I scooped up 3 and a pillow insert for 6 bucks at Walmart and headed home to see what I could come up with.

The middle pillow is the one made with the napkins.  Basically you just leave one napkin whole and cut a second one about 1/3 of the way up.  I had bought the 3rd napkin just in case I messed up.  :)  Lay them right sides together with the hemmed edges inside and sew around all four sides.  (See the second photo in case I just totally confused you.)  Then turn right side out and slip your pillow inside.  

They didn't have a great variety of colors at the home store - lots of solid browns and greens.  And black, which would be a big no no having a golden retriever.  I'd be picking her hair off of them all.the.time.  So since I wasn't really loving their selection, I went to Joann's and bought some home decor fabric.  That fabric was used to make the two flowered covers.

I just cut the fabric to 19 inches square (the pillows are 18 inches), then did the same as I did with the napkins - cutting one side about 1/3 of the way up.  Of course, I had to hem these.

The one thing I learned is that I needed more fabric to overlap.  I really have to tuck to get the opening to close so the pillow insert doesn't show.  But I still like them.  And I could probably use velcro or something to keep them closed.  When I make more, I will remember to overlap the fabric a bit more.

I'm still thinking about what to make next.  I like being crafty!  Maybe I can make some furniture covers for our ugly couch and loveseat.  :)  Although I'd rather just buy new furniture.  Especially since we've never bought new furniture.  Ever.  And our couch is incredibly uncomfortable to sleep on.

Linking with Kleinworth & Co. Your Best Weekly, Project Alicia, In the Moment with ..., NC Sue, and Live and Love ... Out Loud.

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Project 52 - Week 9

First, if you haven't entered my giveaway for the new VeggieTales DVD, go check it out now.  I'll wait here.  Just be sure to come back!  :)

{insert Jeopardy music here}

Okay, now that you are back, Happy March!  I can't believe it is March already!  February, even though it is the shortest month as far as number of days goes, usually drags on forever.  Not so this year.  Maybe because our winter hasn't really been much of a winter?  I don't know, but I'm so excited that spring is just over two weeks away!  I'm going to get some plants started indoors ... we are planting a butterfly garden this year complete with several varieties of milkweed for the Monarchs and parsley for the Swallowtails.  Plus lots of flowers so the butterflies stick around.  Oh, how I need some colorful things surrounding me!  Especially since winter apparently decided to wait until March to arrive!

Last week wasn't super exciting, but it wasn't a bad week either.  Except that Alex picked Tuesday to be sick and I had to miss Bible study.  He's okay, just had a slight fever which is now a cold.  I also got a project finished and spent some time with friends.  Three to be exact.  I was quite social last week.  :)

While Alex was home from school, he asked if he could play on my Kindle for a while.

I made a cover/stand for my Kindle Fire!  I started it on Monday at my friend, Laura's, house, but it didn't work out too well.  So I bought some more fabric and started over again on Wednesday.  It didn't turn our perfectly, but pretty good for a beginner!  Now Keira wants me to make one for her.

I finally ordered a new camera strap from Gina.  I wanted one for a long time but, for some reason, never bought one.  It arrived on Thursday and I love it!  It is even prettier in person!  Thanks, Gina!

We had a small milestone in our home last week also.  I bought Nick his first deodorant.  My boy is becoming a man!  {sniff sniff}  He says when he puts it on that he smells like "old dad," whatever that means.  :)

This is the face my husband makes when I take his picture.  Every.single.time.  But I barely have any recent photos of him, so I'll keep taking them.  Even if they all look like this.  :)

So that's just a sampling of our life last week.  Can't wait to see what you've been up to!

Linking with Gina and Tamar's Project 52.

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I MADE THIS!

I'm so excited!  I wanted a cover/stand for my Kindle for a while now but couldn't find one that I really loved.  So I did some searching online and found a tutorial to make my own.  And I did!  I actually made one!  A novice sewer ... made a Kindle cover!  I'm so pumped!  It's not perfect, but it is pretty good.

A little self portrait going on there.  :)

I wanted one that would stand up so when I'm reading while eating lunch or trying to view a recipe while cooking, my Kindle would, well, stand up.  Without me trying to prop it up on something and risk it falling over.

The tutorial that I followed was here.  So I won't bother with trying to give instructions because theirs are pretty good.  The only adjustments I made were to make my elastic a bit longer and my fabric a little larger than what the website says.  That gave me more room for error, which I found out the hard way that I needed.  :)  After spending a few hours at a friend's house on Monday doing some sewing and then having it not work.  But that is how we learn most things ... the hard way.

Like last night when I was making Italian bread to go with dinner and I forgot to put the yeast in the bread machine.  And I didn't realize it until it was all done mixing.  I did manage to salvage the bread - just kneaded the yeast in the dough after taking it out of the machine.  And letting it rise for over an hour instead of 30 minutes, which is what it would normally need.  It turned out okay but was much smaller and denser than it should have been had I remembered the yeast.  And it was way more work.  You can bet I'll never forget the yeast again!  :)

Anyway, once I was done with the Kindle cover/stand, I hemmed a pair of Keira's jeans and fixed a zipper on one pair of Alex's jammies.  

I also learned how to change the foot on my sewing machine from the standard one to a zipper one.  And I learned how to do a whip stitch.  I feel so educated now!  :)

I'm going to see what else I can make now.  We still need curtains in our home, so I think I'll try my hand at them.   So many possibilities!  :)

Linking with Gina's Your Best Weekly, In the Moment with Sarah, Project Alicia, and Live and Love ... Out Loud.

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