What am I doing with this paintbrush? Why cleaning my sewing machine, of course. Quilting produces A LOT of lint. Most of the lint pictured was found under the bobbin mechanism.
How did I back Abigail's birthday pillow? asked Heather. With a simple envelope backing made out of two pieces of fabric that overlap. To keep everything nice and neat, i like to do a 5 inch overlap.
How I sew an envelope pillow cover:
1. Calculate the size to which you'll cut the fabric for a 5 inch overlap. My formula for this is length of the pillow divided by 2 + 8 inches. (8 inches because you'll need 5 for overlap + 2 inches for the hem + 1 inch for seam allowance) My pillow is 24 inches square so I cut my backing fabric to 20 inches (24/2 = 12 +8 = 20) You'll need TWO of these. Mine were cut 20 x 25 inches. (25" because the pillow is 24"+1" for seam allowance)
2. Hem the edges. Fold the edge over 1 inch; press. Fold over one inch again, press again and top stitch the hem in place. Do the same on the second flap.
3. Arrange the two back pieces on the pillow top with hemmed edges overlapping towards the center. They will both be right sides together with the pillow top. Pin in place and stitch all the way around (all 4 sides) with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
4. Reinforce the flaps by back stitching over the spot where the flaps end. (see photo below)
5. Snip the corners. Turn right side out. Enjoy.
Why did I pull out this quilt? I've been thinking a lot about color and value and how I love playing with both when creating a quilt. I was inspired by posts here and here. I see more 'value quilts' in my future. And soon.
What did the kiddos and I do in our down time this weekend while dad was at work? Built a Lego Monster Dino. This thing has a lot of pieces that make up the many parts but so worth it when you hear him roar and watch him walk - forwards and backwards - around the room!
Why is there a Lego dragonfly in our geraniums? We were inspired by this super cool website. Thanks to a link on Blair's blog.
Why are we eating apples and honey? For a sweet new year.
Happy Rosh Hashanah to you and your family! I do hope the year is overflowing with the sweet blessings of the Lord. I love those Lego creations...my guy would so love that dinosaur one. I'm always finding lego creations in unusual places. so funny! Thanks for the pillow back tutorial...I like the idea of having the option to take the pillow cover off. So far, all my pillows have sewn on covers...that makes for bulky storage. Thanks Larissa!
Posted by: Lisa Q | September 21, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Happy Rosh Hashanah to you and yours. I really love the quilt and you are right...the colour / value ratio in that quilt are super!
Posted by: magikquilter | September 21, 2009 at 01:05 PM
Thank you for sharing how you did the pillow backing. I am just dying to make some up for the house to snuggle around in :)
Happy Autumn
Posted by: Heather | September 23, 2009 at 11:38 AM
Thanks for the link. My oldest still loves legos and loves to take pictures too. He will love this site!
Posted by: Jane | September 25, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Your ideas are very fresh and unique I love to read your page and find such a nice things...
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