10 Minute Bolster Cushion

I've been very busy this week, doing what I'm not really sure, but busy nevertheless.  So you know what that means....time for a quickie craft!

If you want to update your cushions just for the holidays this is the fastest way to do it~

Here's what you need:

Materials:
-an old (and ugly) bolster cushion or a plain uncovered pillow form
-small fringed rug (from the dollar store)
-heavy duty upholstery thread, large needle, scissors

Steps:
1) Make sure that your little rug will wrap around your bolster, overlapping, and has some overhang at each end.  Simply wrap it around your cushion.

2) Scrunch up the end, there is no method to this, just scrunch it up so that you can't see the end of the cushion inside.  Then just hand stitch with heavy duty thread.  My thread doesn't even match and it still worked just fine~

Repeat on the other end.

Tah dah! You are done!  In the time it took you to read this tutorial you could be half-way finished.

I've actually been looking for a cute multi-coloured rug to use for this project for months, but this is the closest thing I've found so I went for it.  If you grow tired of the look or just happen to be in need of a little rug in the future you can easily snip the hand stitches and reuse both the cushion and the rug.

I'm off to start my Christmas crafting for the weekend!  Have you started yet?  Leave a comment below~

Butterfly Cushion

I'm slowly redoing the colours on my main floor.  This means, redoing all of the cushions that I made a couple of years ago.

One by one, they will eventually go from different shades of rose and burgundy...

To something else much cuter, playful, and colourful.

I just made a simple envelope style cover and then ironed on the butterfly applique from a Silhouette pattern and a remnant from some pedal pushers that I made for my niece.

Believe it or not, I actually wasn't sure what design to use for the applique.  At first I was going to go with a saying about travellers, then I decided on an owl.   Finally I shook my head and realized how silly it would be to not do a butterfly.  This is the butterfly house for crying out loud~

I'm not sure yet if it will find a home on my DIY bench...

or on my wicker chair (which needs a chair pad).  Those green curtains are going too as soon as I figure out what will replace them.

How often do you change the colours in your house?  Do you still have white walls that came with the house?  Leave a comment~

Blingy Cushion

If there's one room in my house that is sadly in need of some sparkle and blingity bling it's my living room.  I've bought some fabric to make new curtains but thought I'd start with something a little smaller this week just to add that first spark.

I recently bought this cute Tee on the clearance rack at Winner's and decided to use it as my inspiration:

Here are the supplies that I used:

Steps:
1) Measure your cushion and add a half inch to all of your measurements.  Cut out two pieces of fabric the same size. 

2) Create a template for the design you want to put on the front of your cushion.  I traced an outline of the butterfly from my top for my basic shape:




Check out how I made that cute pencil here .

3) Using a vanishing pen I lightly traced the image onto my cushion fabric:

4) I started with the outline image and hand sewed a single row of sequins on.  I used invisible thread so that the stitches wouldn't be very noticeable.  It's almost like a fishing line or beading thread.

If you have pets, this is a good time to let them outside.  The sparkle of sequins and the flash of invisible thread flying through the air might be too much temptation to bear for some of them:

Here's the outline of my shape:

5) Next I filled in the shape with more sequins.  I used different shapes and colours to add more texture and interest. 

I didn't try to copy the t-shirt butterfly.  It would've been too labour intensive.  Although this is a pretty easy project, it can become very time consuming.

6) Once you have your shape all filled in you just need to put your cushion together.  Simply place your fabric right sides together and pin on three sides, leaving one edge open to pop your cushion form in.  Sew together with a half inch seam allowance.

7) After it's sewn you can finish your edges with a zigzag or serger if you like.  Cut diagonally across all four corners so that they poke out when you turn it all right side out.

8) Turn your cover right side out and insert cushion form:

9) Pin your last unfinished edge and slip stitch or ladder stitch the opening closed.

And Tah Blingity Dah, you have a pretty cushion!

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Try different variations.  If you want to try a simple version just do straight lines and then you can zig zag it all on with a sewing machine.  Or create bubbles of different colours.  Check out the sequin shelf at your local fabric store and go for it!

I'll be posting at all the new linky parties on the linky tab so be sure to check them out for more fun ideas.

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.  What kind of shape will you use on your cushion? 

Sharp Corners Ahead

I'm in the middle of a washroom make-over that I hope I'll be able to reveal to you someday soon...as in sometime before Christmas.  In the meantime I thought I'd give you a sneak peak into one of the many projects I have underway.

I've mentioned before that my home is very old and one of the great things about an old house is that standard rooms are rarely standard in size or character.

My washroom is rather grand by today's sizes.  In all likelihood it was probably a bedroom at one time in its life.  Right now it has a long make up table attached to the wall that needs a chair to make it a little more luxe.

I found this stool at a flea market quite awhile ago for about $5.  Even that was probably too much to pay for it but I could envision it the room and could see what it could be, so I handed over my $5 and promptly brought it home and painted it white (it used to be a lovely shade of flat brown~)

Today I'll show you how I made a cushion to add some style...and comfort.

Here are the supplies that I used:



Add some fibrefill or stuffing to this list to really make your cushion puffy.

Steps:
1)Cut your foam to fit the seat of the chair or stool.

2)Lay the foam on top of your fabric and measure 2" all the way around.

3)Create notches at corners by measuring 5/8" from each edge of the foam and extending.  Cut notches out.







4)Use your cut out piece of fabric as a pattern to cut out a second piece exactly the same size.

5)Sew long side seams together and one short end together with a 6/8" seam allowance.

-Don't worry that your seams aren't lining up right at the corner in the notches, they're not supposed to.

6)Pinch the corner and fold so that all edges are even and seams are matching.  Stitch a 6/8" seam across.

7)Do the same to the other end but only sew a couple of inches in on each end of the short end so that you can still create corners but leave an opening for you to insert your foam.

8)Turn so that the right side of the fabric is on the outside and squeeze your foam inside through the opening on the end.  I used 2" thick foam so I still have some wiggle room to add some fibrefill or stuffing to make it a little softer and fill the corners out better.

9)Slip stitch end to close the gap and....voila!

I love this method because you get nice crisp corners.  You can see this on my grey wool bag that I showed you the other day in this weeks Show and Tell.  The only drawback is the side seam but you can avoid this by wrapping the fabric so that you only have seams on three sides instead of all four.

Hopefully by the time the snow is flying and Christmas is here, the rest of the washroom will be done and I can share the whole shabang with you!

Let me know what you think.  If you have more washroom crafting ideas make sure to leave a comment to let me know~

(This project will be posted throughout the week at the linky parties from the linky party tab above.  Check out the sites for more great ideas!)

BetweenNapsonthePorch was my top referrer last week, so go visit Susan and
check out her site for other fab ideas!

As always, don't forget to check out Todays Creative Blog for more fun ideas.