Pillows Pillows Pillows

I'm always making new slip covers for my pillows aren't I? How do you other people handle your boredom? The best pillow is a new slip cover that cost zero dollars.
If I bought all my pillows I think my husband would ban them from my budget.

We redid our living room floors, and so I needed new pillows.

 I went with traditional pillow covers this time, mostly because they were the texture I wanted and the colors. I don't love the floral but the colors were right!
(You know how magazines and pinterest have their couches filled with pillows, well they do look great that way, but they annoy my husband to the high heavens, for a while I didn't care, then I decided it was his house too.)
My pillows actually weren't free I spent $5 on WAY too much floral fabric for a different craft I never did. Then I spent $1.50 on trim to make my home pillow. At first I wanted to make a "be nice" because I tell my children that all day long, before they go to school, while they are at home with their family, etc etc, but be nice was too many characters.

 I also added a deer to the front of my polka dot pillow. I guess I should have a close up of it... My brain is out to lunch. It never came home from vacation in Spain.

I was hesitant about the deer, because I didn't want it to be christmasy, but I don't think it is, its rustic, and with as much oak as my house has that I'm not replacing, I feel like my house is rustic, since we live so close to the mountains.
(Best part of that picture, I'm always keeping it real, ideally I would have hidden my broken laundry basket full of fleece blankets. Didn't even realize.)

Halloween Pillows

Weeks ago I made easy slipcover Halloween pillowcases for my living room. I always want a full couch of Halloween so this year during nap time I did it! I used all that Halloween fabric I've been hoarding for some unknown something.

The Trick or Treat pillow I made a couple of years ago.

This orange one is my favorite.

Cost: Free-- paid for all that material years ago
Took two or three nap times.

The Middle Three

Turns out I never blogged about my new couch pillows, apparently I was always expected to finish my last and waited until I finished the last pillow.

Remember the fiasco that was my May? Well the deal was my husband was suppose to watch the kids on Saturdays while I sewed my pillows BEFORE he went to Guatemala. If he was going to be gone for 10 days without cell service, I at least wanted to love my pillows. (I also got a new mattress for my bed.)

So in April I made three pillows.

This is how my children took to arranging them this summer. They only had to arrange the pillows three or so times a day since they were constantly throwing them on the ground, as previously discussed. They would have to clean the living room before any request was granted.
Here is my low light close ups. I would tell you this one is my favorite, but then I would have to say this about ever one, except for the one I just finished...

 Everyone loves these goldfish. I get so many complements on this pillow. Its to make up for the fact that I am so busy keeping my children alive I can't even bare to take care of a fish!

 I have had this material SO long waiting for me to make something with it. It was good, I won't go into any detail but I needed to make this pillow so I could move on.

 All my couch pillows, I think my kids have a better arrangement with only three. I really don't like my newest pillow, I love the material, but its just not right.

The Last Pillow

Remember these two pillows?
And then this one, and that one and this one?

Well I had one more pillow form waiting, waiting for six months for me to finish it.

My husband asked why are you making another pillow? We don't need another pillow, which he had a point. All of our pillows are always on the floor because we have three kids and kids have a radar in their head that says, what a pillow is on the couch I better throw it on the ground. I can only assume that radar is connected to the radar that says, what a book is on the ground let me go out of my way to jump on it.

Also when lots of family members sit on the couch there are too many pillows, but if dad or mom lays on the ground then heaven forbid each person doesn't have their own pillow on the floor to lay with. So reason speaks we should have six pillows. Which we now have!

But really I made the last pillow because I had the form waiting and waiting and waiting. It was taking up valuable craft space and so I figured the last form should be downstairs taking up my husband's valuable couch space instead of my craft space...
He honestly didn't think this was a valid argument. But my 8 year old and 5 year old absolutely love the new pillow. Which is funny because I really don't.

New Pillows

Months ago it became very apparent I needed new pillows, the stuffing was so flat by that point.  But pillows are not something my husband cares about so it seemed like they should come out of my personal budget not the family budget. (Camping gear comes out of his personal budget not the family budget so it only seems fair.) Well it took me a while to find the money in my budget, but I finally did.  So I FINALLY made new pillows for my black chairs in my living room.  I've only been planning new pillows since about May.  So this is a huge deal for me!  These prints are not the fabric I had been saving for the pillows, but I changed my mind when I actually started the project.  Hooray, for the project.  I'm pretty sure I have a funky style, because I picked this bunny print out of my fabric storage.  I had been saving it for something special, and I feel like my living room pillow is that.  It reminds me of old bunny.  (My oldest has given up old bunny, in fact a few months ago he said we could give it away.  Like I could ever give away old bunny, its now on the top of his book shelf, leaving me forlorn that my baby grew up.)

 Next I made this one.

 Here is another shot.

 Then I stared at my couch, something was wrong its been wrong for a while. When all of sudden realize there was too much brown between the pillow and the quilt.  So I made a new pillow.  I need new forms on my couch too, but they aren't as pathetic and I didn't want to blow my whole personal budget on pillows in one week. When I get new forms, I probably won't make new covers.

Here is my oldest at about 21 months with his old bunny, and his uncle.  Logically I don't miss my oldest being little, he exasperated me for years, 3-5 are not my favorite ages, but oh my heart does miss that pudgy little boy, now he is bean pole.

Halloween Pillows

Remember the Halloween Pillows I have been waiting to make?

Patriotic Pillow

I needed a pillow for the Fourth of July. It was super easy to make.  I used fusible bond.

Mustached Tooth Fairy Pillow

Remember the preview the other day.  Well I finished it the next day, and now I'm posting.  I love it so much.  The felt tooth is double sided with two pieces of felt, so there is no exposed stitches from my embroidery.  My seven year old still hasn't lost any teeth so the pillow is plenty in time. (Sad day for him, both of his parents lost teeth later than average, plus he didn't get any baby teeth until he was 14 months old, so he'll loose teeth even later than his parents.)

Fits a mini card, with money.

Stay tune, of course my daughter wants a girly one.  Even though she probably has another two years before she loses any teeth.  I'm sure she'll be late too, but not as late, because she grew teeth a good 5 months before her brother.

Love Pillow

I'm slightly pillow obsessed right now.  I wanted a throw pillow for my bed, so here is what I did.
I of course embroidered the pillow, and the fabric rosette I hand sewed instead of glue gunned.

Couch Pillows

Remember how I didn't like my last pillow. Well I made new ones.  Everyone just has plain square pillows, with pretty material.  So that was my plan, but then I couldn't do it, instead I put ruffles on one and a bow on the other.  The minute I decided I needed embellishments for my pillows, I knew I needed a bow on one.

They match with the quilt my mom made me.

Future Halloween

Oh I'm so excited for October. While at the quilt store today, I bought some clearance Halloween material. I'm going to have Halloween covers for my pillows. I think it will be darling.

Another pillow

I decided my couch needed another pillow, ascetically one was plenty for me, but comfort wise it was not. I had a left over form from cutting up my striped pillows, so last weekend I got to work. I kind of hate the pillow, but my children absolutely love it. I decided I wanted a "love at home" pillow to remind us to be more loving. Then I got the bunting idea on Pinterest of course. It ended up looking very 80s crafty to me with more modern colors. I guess that's what I get for trying to do a heart and a house, and now I am stuck with it because the kids love it.

Which is fine, because the message is good. Plus it matches with the other pillows.

Halved Pillows

I redid my pillows for our new arm chairs. I pulled them apart and cut everything in half including the pillow form and sewed it back up. I am trying to decide if I like them.

I also made green bobbles for my vase out of cotton balls covered material. Yarn would have been better but I didn't have spring green yarn.

Once I moved around my side furniture that definitely improved things. Still I think that wall could use some lighting up. All in due time. I have plans and my husbands willingness. Back to the point, how do the pillows look?

Hmm, maybe too matchy. Maybe this is better, I flipped one around so the stripes are different.  Yes, I love stripes.  Yes, I realize this picture is out of focus, no I don't care...

P. S. this is one of favorite pictures right now. It's a candid from the baby blessing.

I'm amazing

Yes that title seems a little self absorbed but if you read this post, you'll agree.  Ok, maybe not, but isn't it nice when people think you are so fantastic.  Its always nerve wracking when you send someone homemade presents, because you invest so much of yourself in a present, so its always nice to see them gladly received   

If you read Alisa's post, then all these pictures will be repeats, but Alisa's pictures looked so much better than the ones I took, so I borrowed hers.  I think I need a new camera.

First I made her pillows, with ruffles, because ruffles are big right now!  Then I made her a smaller pillow with a flower, because flowers are so fun.  When I made those ruffles I only broke one needle, so you know not bad.

Before I went shopping for fabric, I hunted Alisa's entire blog to find out what color her couch was for the pillows, how she decorated her tree.

 Alisa seemed to favor on red ornaments, so it seemed only fitting to buy red and white Christmas material for the skirt, not to mention based on the ads it was the height of fabric fashion this holiday.  But in my mind the skirt should be green like the tree.  So I did both, and made a reversible tree skirt. 

Then if you look at crafts on Pinterest at all you know that Monogram tree skirts are beyond the height of fashion, so I had to add it.

See aren't her pictures pretty!

Trick or Treat Pillow

Here is this season's newest pillow.  I wanted a halloween pillow, but I wanted something I could pump out in an afternoon, so instead of embroidery I used fusible bonding, and my sizzix (think old school cricut).

 I bought this halloween material last year, and its about my favorite halloween material ever! I'm so glad I found a project to showcase the material with.

Actually I thought I needed a halloween pillow, because I have more couches that I had last year, considering I larger living quarters, so I wanted more than my pumpkin pillows, I wanted another pillow for the other couch. 

New and Improved Pillow

 Remember this pillow?  Well over the last year and half, I've really come to hate it. In the picture it looks all nice and new in shiny, but in reality, it was old and pilly. So I tore it apart, and put this monogram H on the pillow. While pulling apart the flowers I was very nervous, and wondered if I was making a huge mistake. It ended up no mistake, but perfect. I love it.

 I decided to pull it apart, because I still love these pillows and to it seemed like I needed three pillows so I had to do something, because I absolutely hated those felt buttons by now.  My husband likes my new pillow because he doesn't like buttons on pillows whether they are felt or plastic.

 I got the monogram H from this vase my mom's friend made me.  I think your suppose to put a votive in or something, but I figured out it perfect for our puzzle pieces that don't stay together.

The monogram pillow idea came from, Martha Stewart September 2011 issue.  I loved the spread about them, because I love monograms so much!  But in true Martha form, the article is no where to be found online, only this tutorial. I found this picture so inspiring so I had to post it. I'm starting to dream up more monogram ideas based on this pillow, but who knows if I'll follow through.

Couch Pillows

Right before we moved, we bought used couches from a friend for $20.  I know most people would not be so ghetto and not pay to move low priced used furniture.  But it seemed like a good idea for us, we already had a big truck, and we didn't have to waste time during the two precious weeks my husband had here before he went back to Utah for 5 weeks looking for couches. Not to mention they came with brown microfiber covers, which are priced well over $20.  They are also actually surprisingly comfy for old couches, but there was just three problems.  Three rough scratchy upholstery pillows that didn't fit under the slipcovers.

I cut the three pillows open and put their guts instead of this darkish material. I wanted to finish during the 2 year old's nap so I machine sewed the bottom up.  If I would have known what I was doing I would have double layered my pillows.  I didn't because I didn't have enough dark material, and didn't have any plain material, then when I finished I realized I could have used the multiple yards stripe flannel just sitting around, the material is dark enough no one would know what was in the inside.  Life has lately taught me when you double up your material over stuffing, everything is much softer! 

Tah dah!

The full view of the other couch. Yes, the point of the dark pillows was almost to blend it, but not actually.  I didn't want a whole couch full of brightly colored pillows.