Showing posts with label fabric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fabric. Show all posts

March 16, 2012

Under $5 Vase Filler

I have been meaning to fill my apothecary jar with something for spring or something that I could display year-round.  During the month of January and February my jar looked like this...


I got the pine cones from Walmart during their Christmas clearance.  I love the look of pine cones or other natural elements as vase fillers, but it's time to bring in some spring!  I wanted something inexpensive and easy to make.  I found a tutorial on the Eddie Ross website here on how to make plaid shirt ornaments.  I am definitely making those bad boys for my Christmas tree this Christmas!  Anyways, I had scraps of fabric left over from my no-sew pillow covers plus some sage green fabric that I bought on clearance a few months ago.  So, I decided the two fabrics together would be a perfect combo to make fabric balls to use as vase fillers.

Here's what you'll need:
Scissors
Ruler
Pins
Fabric
Styrofoam balls (I used 3 inch balls)

Step 1: Measure the circumference of your ball.  Mine were about 9 inches.  I added an extra half inch so that I could overlap and pin both ends of the fabric together on the ball.  My boyfriend was lovely enough to want to help me!  Those are his fingers, not mine! : )


Step 2: Cut your fabric into strips based on the length of the ball you chose.  So, I cut my strips 9.5 inches long and made them each 1 inch wide.  Even though I did use cotton duck fabric (the patterned fabric) on three of the balls, my tip is to use regular, thin, cotton fabric (the green balls).  Regular cotton fabric will conform to the ball more and look "neater" in my opinion.

Step 3: Wrap each strip of fabric around the ball making sure they are tight and cover the entire ball.  I only used one pin for each ball by using a pin on the last strip of fabric.  Using pins instead of glue allows you to use different patterns of fabric year-round to change up the look of your fillers.



Step 4: Place your fabric ball fillers (lovely name, huh?) in a basket, vase, or jar!




Here's a before and after:

Before
After
This project cost me a total of $3.50.  I had everything on hand except for the Styrofoam balls.  Amazing how simple it is to update a space!


I'm linking up here:
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February 1, 2012

Fabulous No-Sew Pillow Covers

Hi folks!  I promised in my previous post to show my no-sew pillow cover results.  Because I'm too excited to wait, I'll start by showing the finished product...


I'm seriously surprised they came out that well!  Before I attempted this project, I searched high and low for a detailed tutorial.  The one that really provided the best information for me was from Budget Wise Home.  But, knowing me and directions, I sorta winged it anyways.  So, here's what you'll need:


Ugly pillow(s)
Heat-n-Bond iron on adhesive (I used 7/8", ultra-hold)
Fabric cutter (or scissors)
Fabric marker
Measuring tape
Iron
Ironing board
Fabric (I chose cotton duck fabric from Hobby Lobby)

1. Measure your pillow(s) seam to seam.  My rectangular pillow was 14x23 and my square pillow was 20x20.  Add at least 3 inches to each side, which will ensure you have enough for making the outer borders.  So, for my rectangular pillow I would want my fabric 17x26 and my square pillow would be 23x23.


2. As for fabric, I would recommend using cotton duck fabric because it's a heavier fabric and more durable.  Once you have chosen your fabric, cut two pieces according to your measurements for front and back sides of your pillow(s).  The picture below shows two sides that are not the same size.  That's because I attempted to make an "envelope" pillow cover so I could make the cover removable, but I screwed up on that step, with not having enough fabric.  So, pretend they are both the same size!


3. Iron a seam on one side of the fabric.  This will help you ensure that your sides are straight before ironing the tape on.

4. Cut the Heat-n-Bond tape to size and place inside the seam you just ironed.  Follow the directions for Heat-n-Bond.


5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have all sides hemmed.  Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 for your second piece of fabric.


6. Once both pieces of fabric are hemmed, cut Heat-n-Bond tape to size and place on one seam of one piece of fabric (fabric should be wrong side up) following the Heat-n-Bond directions.  Then place the other piece of fabric right side up directly over the seam and iron both pieces together.  Do this step for two more sides.


This step is where my tutorial differs from others.  I am basically doing an outside hem to make the outer edges look like this:


If you don't prefer the look, then just situate the second piece of fabric wrong side up directly over the seam and iron the two pieces of fabric together to get an inside hem.

7.  Once you have all three sides attached, stuff your pillow inside.


8.  I'm not going to lie, ironing the last seam will probably make you want to use some "French".  It's not easy to do, and definitely takes patience.  When ironing the last seam in place, do so while pushing the pillow far back into the cover so you have more fabric to hold down flat.  Paper clips work pretty well for keeping the fabric in place.  Allow the last seam to cool completely before fluffing up your pillow or the seams will spread open and you'll have to reapply the tape (I learned this the hard way, because I'm so impatient).


9.  Fluff your pillow and enjoy your new look!  And remind your significant other they're for decoration only ; )



Let's do a before and after!

Before:



And after:



FINAL WORDS: The total for this project was $12 ($9 for fabric and $3 for Heat-n-Bond).  You can't find two large accent pillows for $12!  Also, I did the rectangular pillow first, and thought I couldn't make another one because it took me forever.  But, by the second time around, the square pillow cover was done in no time flat.  I would definitely do this project again!

I'm linking up here:
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