Pillow Madness!

I have spent a little bit of time since the first of the year cleaning out and reorganizing the basement.  I have plastic bins full of potential sewing projects down there~ yardage, trims, and pillow forms.  Pillow forms~ what seems like a countless number.  I would open unmarked bins with great excitement, only to find more pillow forms!  All shapes, all sizes.

Are you wondering how I amassed such an inventory?  Well it's taken a few years actually, but each time I drop donations at the Goodwill store I take a quick look around.  If I see any seemingly quality pillows, regardless of the shape the fabric is in, I buy them just to get the form; especially if they happen to be on sale that day.

I recently challenged myself to master a sewing technique I saw on the blog, Freckled Laundry.  This, by the way, is one of my favorite blogs.  Anyway, I was determined to ruche a piece of fabric using elastic, and use it on a pillow I made with one of the many forms.  I also challenged myself to use as many pillow forms as the living room sofa and chairs would tastefully accommodate.

{Ruche~A ruffle or pleat of lace, muslin, or other fine fabric used for trimming women's garments.}

Here is the link, in case you would like to see the source of my challenge: Ruching Tutorial Freckled Laundry.  Jami can teach you so much better than I.
 
And here is my pillow~

And another look~

Super-love this shirting flannel with a hound's tooth pattern that I bought on close out at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  I bought all they had and I wish I could have gotten more.

I also went crazy with burlap pillows with my trademark white burlap roses.

I made 4 of the burlap pillows with three rosettes per pillow!  Making 12 rosettes in one sitting got a little repetitive, even a tad boring, so I watched a CSI: New York marathon while I worked.  I have such an affinity for burlap pillows that I decided to give one of the pillows to a special young friend. She has just recently moved into her first post-college apartment.  I'm not sure whether we have coincident decorating taste but I decided I couldn't go wrong with a pillow in shades of neutral.

The chocolate brown sofa cover was a gift from Larry this past fall.  It is covering an IKEA sofa I serendipitously snagged from a garage sale.  The sofa cover was in horrible condition but the sofa itself was perfect and so worth the $50 asking price.  Curiously, this very sofa, Ektorp, had just been featured on the most elegant blog,  Cote de Texas .   It surprised me so that an upscale interior designer would write about an IKEA sofa.  And suddenly, to my delight, I stumbled upon the Ektorp a few days later.  I must admit to loving my sofa all the more because it was spotlighted on such a gracious and gorgeous blog.

However, the sofa was lacking dimension and clearly needed embellishment.  Wool plaid pillows to the rescue!  I found this remnant of wool at a local philanthropic thrift store quite some time ago.  But it is just another great find that I had forgotten all about until last week when I was rummaging around the basement.  I am so pleased with the textural  combinations at now at work on the sofa.  I have mentioned before that I use a variety of deep reds in my house and the autumn hues in the plaid really pull the living room together.

Today I finished my final living room pillow. Well, is anything ever final?  But I've made seven pillows since my resolve to ruche and I am very proud of myself.  All seven are even hand stitched closed and sittin' pretty.

So proud am I that I am linking to these parties in the days coming up~


 Air Your Laundry Friday  at Freckled Laundry

Feathered Nest Friday  at French Country Cottage


Metamorphosis Monday  at Between Naps on the Porch


Show Off Your Cottage Monday  at House in the Roses 

Grab a cup of coffee and do a little blog hopping.  There is so much inspiration on stage there.


Thanks so much for dropping by.  The National Weather Service claims the snow will be gone by tomorrow night so visiting will be easier than ever.


Warm winter wishes until we meet again!


    Dana