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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Project 52 - Week 8

Happy Monday!  The sun has been shining here all day and feels wonderful.  I love it!  I spent the morning at a friend's house doing some sewing.  My project ended up not going quite like I'd hoped, so I stopped on the way home to pick up some more fabric.  I will try again with better measurements.  Hoping to have that done to share later this week.

Last week wasn't super eventful, mostly just the routine stuff, but it was a good week.  I completed a sewing project that I started almost a year ago!  The kids and I went for a walk on the bike trail on Thursday after school, but we didn't last long because it was COLD!  Saturday morning I attended our local Praise and Coffee while Doug took Alex to soccer.  I really like his new Monday-through-Friday-daylight-weekends-off schedule.  He can still work some long days and even an occasional weekend, but primarily he's off.  It is nice to be able to plan things again!

Anyway, here's a glimpse at what last week looked like around here ...
(can you say "last week looked like" five times fast?)  :)

Alex brought home this snowman artwork from school.  It is made from glue and shaving cream.  I took a picture of it and threw it away because the stuff was flaking off and getting everywhere.  :)

Speaking of Alex, I bought this hat for him from my friend, Laura, who makes custom hats. He loves it!  And the day I brought it home he just happened to be wearing his favorite sweater with a train on it.

Working on my sewing project.

I spent some time watching the birds that were visiting my feeder and saw this red-winged blackbird for the first time.

Honey is my shadow all day every day when I am home.  When I go do anything, she follows me.  

Keira learned how to do a fishtail braid this week and wanted to practice on me.

Keira also taught me how to do a French braid since I have never quite gotten the hang of it. I think it turned out pretty good for a first try.

Thanks for stopping by!  I look forward to seeing what you were up to last week!

Linking with Gina and Tamar for Project 52.

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday 01.29.12

In the midst of the dust flying during the great kitchen remodel, I managed to hunt down this week's items ... Smile, Stand alone, Rusty or Something old, Artificial, and Repeating pattern.  

Here are my interpretations ...

{smile}

Doug promised Alex a while back that he'd buy him a new train car.  That exciting event happened on Saturday.  It is a Polar Express stock car (surprise!  Alex LOVES The Polar Express).  Since the doors open on both sides, I thought it would be cool to capture his excited face through the train car.  Just look at that smile!

{stand alone}

I finally managed to find some time to make a light box by following Rosie's instructions.  Since one of my goals this year is to learn to sew, I chose to photograph a lone bobbin.

{rusty or something old}

This is an old button holer from a really old sewing machine that I no longer own.  Why I still have the button holer, I can't say.  Except that I needed something to photograph for this prompt.  :)

{artificial}

A bouquet of artificial daisies that resides in my dining room.

{repeating pattern}

Had a little fun with Big Huge Labs Pop Art Poster action.

Be sure to head over to Ashley's to see more great photos!  And if you'd like to play along next week, the items to hunt down are:

1. Strike a Pose
2. Footwear
3. Hobby
4. Shiny
5. Color Me Green

Have a great week!

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