pillow talk

That's right, I got my sew on!

A couple weeks ago, I took a basics in sewing class from JoAnn Fabrics - and I highly recommend it! I had tried to follow some YouTube sewing tutorials, from threading my machine to just basic seams, and I knew I wasn't doing it right. So, for $35, JoAnn hooked me up with a fantastic instructor, a very thorough starter kit, and we spent 2.5 hours learning about our machines, basic stitches, and different fabrics and types of threads/tension/whatnot they needed. I left excited and more confident, even if my spiral stitch looked liked I'd sneezed a few times ...

So, this Sunday I started my first project: a pillow cover from the sailboat fabric we used to re-upholster the library ottoman. I had a vague idea of what this would call for, but decided to consult the wisdom of the internet.

This post had a nice diagram and instructions for a one-piece cover with insertion flap. Or, you can break it down by this: measure the length and width of the pillow from seam to seam. Then, double the width of the pillow, and then add an inch to each edge of the overall piece (for your hems). I found several tutorials where the front, back, and flap were all separate pieces, but the one-piece concept below sounded right up my alley.

So, I did that. My previous cut of the sailboat fabric had not been, uh, very straight, so I was a little nervous about measuring and cutting off. Once I had the piece sliced and positioned the pillow to figure out where I wanted the insertion flap to go, I then trimmed up the uneven edges.

And somewhere along the lines, I mixed up techniques from looking at multiple tutorials. See, the super simple technique would be to sew only sew three (or four) lines. You hem one short edge (or both), fold the fabric over (like the bottom part of the diagram above) and then sew the seams. Done! Apparently I wanted to be very thorough with my seams and hemmed both short edges and a long edge before I realized what I'd done.

Oops. But I need the practice, right? No problem, one edge is just reinforced. Once I finished each seam, I turned the fabric right side out and shoved the pillow in. I realized I'd been too generous in my measurements and the cover was a little too big, so I just turned it inside out and did a deeper stick on two opposite edges (where there was the most give). 

Ta-da!

After I was done, I decided the next pillow's insertion flap will be moved off center. I'll also take the easier route. ;-) But it was such a simple, satisfying project that I think I've got the bug! My next project are new covers for the two euro pillows in the guest room (after photos of our paint job coming soon!).