Saturday, June 13, 2015

June Pinterest Attempt

I know.  I know.  We're already halfway through June, I haven't posted in a while, and where was the May Pinterest project?  I really did a May project!  I just haven't been very post-ful lately.  Let's remedy that.

My May Pinterest attempt was the No Sew Pillow Makeover.  Watch the video and you'll see what a great idea this is.  And the finished product on the video looks so good.  My pillow makeover started with two dark brown throw pillows that I thought could use a little brightening up for summer.  Then I purchased some fabric and was ready to go.  I cut the fabric to the correct size and got to work.
The finished product.  Okay but not great.
Close up of the fabric.
It basically worked, but in the end I wasn't completely satisfied with this project.  But I figured out some ways that would improve the finished look of these pillow covers. 

First of all, it would be best to use a firm pillow.  The pillows I used (I think they were about 14") were extremely squishy.  They also weren't the thickest pillows around.  So when I did the wrapping and tying, the pillows tended to squish inward and I couldn't get that nice smooth look as shown on the video.

Because of the loose, floppy fabric, eventually the edges started slipping down which I don't believe would happen with a firmer pillow.  So I took the fabric off of these pillows and tried covering some other pillows I have.  These were 18" square and very firm.  I don't think that using a yard of fabric is enough for this size pillow.  But I tried it anyway just to see if it looked better than my first attempt.
Even with less fabric than this pillow needed, it still looks better.  Now that I look at the video again, it does look like the pillow she's using is a firm one and the fabric seems to have more body to it.

Second, even though I like this fabric a lot, I think it would help to have a darker color if you're covering dark color pillows.  What was I thinking?  Add to that using a slightly thicker fabric than the quilting fabric that I bought.

Would I do this project again?  Yes, now that I know what kind of materials to use.   My advice to you:  Try it.  Use firm throw pillows and a fabric with a little bit more heft than quilting fabric and pay attention to the color!