And this weekend, I finally decided to actually make one of the projects. (Like the INFJ that I am, I spend a lot of time reading instructional books and thinking about doing the projects before I get around to the actual doing.) Instead of starting at the very beginning (for as we know, I have some experience sewing. For what it's worth.) I skipped to the middle of the second chapter, which had instructions for zippered pillow covers. I'd had it in the back of my head to refresh our living room with some throw pillows, but was always taken aback at the price of pillow forms. It finally occurred to me that I could just make my own. I found this tutorial, printed off some Joann's coupons, and set off to Walmart and Joann's for supplies with the children in tow on Friday. (We also made a second trip to Joann's on Saturday, because I am a masochist.)
Somehow, inside the Super-Joann's, he zeroed in on the one truck like a homing pigeon.
Anyways, I wound up with these:
They're the printed pillows. With the piping. Don't be awed by my sEwInG sKiLlZ, because this picture hides a multitude of mistakes. Like, a lot.
If you don't get the zipper on the first go, try try again. And again. And again. Zippers are the worst. Needless to say, I learned a lot on this project.
Having a rotary cutter, clear ruler, and mat make cutting fabric infinitely easier than the dull right-handed (I'm not) scissors that came in the very first sewing kit I got for fifth grade sewing class.
Unless I'm making continuous bias tape. Then all those beautiful straight lines I drew will get hopelessly mangled anyways.
Cotton filler cord and piping cord are definitely not the same thing. Even if the package says it's the same size, it's waaaaay thicker and I'll have to cut it in half which will take 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back and then my hopelessly mangled bias tape will barely fit around it and I'll have to hand sew all the patches my sewing machine missed because my seam allowance is now two hairs wide.
I can however, use painter's tape as quilter's tape, which is great when Joann's doesn't carry the right size anyways.
Making my own pillow forms is stupidly easy, even for me. Making them from cheap Walmart pillows is much cheaper than buying Poly-Fil, plus I get the fun of ripping open a pillow.
I may think I'm smart by snagging thick home decor fabric from the remnants bin (50% off) instead of getting regular old quilter's calico. Then I'll discover than the fabric I picked frays when I breathe on it wrong. I'll hand sew more corners where they simply...disappeared between cutting pieces and actually putting the pillow together.
But in the end, I got to learn some new skills as an adult and try to make our apartment a little homier. It needs all the help it can get.
Don't worry, I fixed it with duct tape.
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