pillows Archives - U Create

Red Heart Pillow Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:01:00 +0000

Hi U Create fans! I’m super honored to be here today. Kari always seems to round up the most fun sewing projects from around blog land.

I’m Anna, my blog is noodlehead, I’ve got two little girls, am a working mama, and am trying to find the balance between my hobby, my job, and my family. I’ve got lots of tutorials and even a few patterns if you want to stop by and check them out!

Red Heart Pillow Tutorial

Lately, I really have been enjoying collecting vintage kitchenware, so this pillow is inspired by a vintage enamel bowl designed by Kaj Franck. Valentine’s day is one of my favorites, so here we go!

Materials:

20″x 20″ pillow form

2/3 yard white fabric (for background)

20.5″ by 20.5″ muslin for lining (optional)

20.5″ by 20.5″ piece for back of pillow

fat quarter (18×22) for heart

18″ invisible zipper, I just shortened a 20″ zip ** if you don’t want to try an invisible zip, you can do a simple envelope closure

thread

templates: white background, red heart

Directions:
Cut out pieces, you’ll need two of the half-heart shaped pattern pieces and two of the white background pieces. I would err on leaving plenty of wiggle room on the white pieces, then after completing the heart, just trim down to 20.5″ by 20.5″. You’ll also need to cut two additional pieces 20.5″ by 20.5″. One is the pillow back the other you can use muslin, it’ll line the font of the pillow and hide the heart seams and make it sturdy and durable for washing, etc.

Ready for the curves?
Don’t be scared. Watch this video for piercing the heart.

Sorry, both parts I say wrong sides facing, guess I was nervous, it’s supposed to be right sides facing!

Once you complete both halves of the heart, you’ll have to pieces like this (they’ll be mirrored though, obviously, to complete the heart shape):

Press all seams towards red part of the heart. I like to use a little spray starch to make things nice and crisp.

Trim heart halves, making sure you have room for the 1/4″ seam allowance.

Place RIGHT sides facing and sew together.

Press center seam open.

Serge (or zig-zag) pillow top and muslin together, also serge (or zig-zag) the edges of the pillow back.

Install the zipper:
(You might also want to check out this invisible zipper tutorial too, it’s how I learned to install one.)
I really recommend an invisible zipper foot, they should be relatively inexpensive (between $2-8), but you can also use a regular zipper foot. Press the zipper if you’re using a zipper foot, it’ll let you get close to the zipper teeth.

Align the edge of the zipper tape with the serged edge of the bottom of the pillow front, zipper open, zipper teeth, and zipper pull facing down. Sew close to zipper teeth.

Align remaining zipper tape edge with serged edge of bottom of the pillow back. Sew close to zipper teeth.

Place pillow front and back RIGHT sides facing, pin, being sure to pull out the zipper tape ends (those zig zaggy things) and pin them out of the way. Be sure to open the zipper at least half-way at this point otherwise you won’t be able to open it up!

Sew starting at the point where you stopped sewing the zipper using a 1/2″ seam allowance all the way around, ending where the other side of the zipper had been sewn.

I like to taper in the corners to more of a 5/8″ seam allowance, it gives the pillow and nice shape and the corners look nicer.

Using a pinking shears, clip the corners. Turn right side out, insert pillow form.

Thanks, Kari for having me!

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The 10 Minute Throw Pillow Cover

Kari Sweeten — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Let me show you my “go-to” pillow cover tutorial that’s a piece of cake to make! I can usually whip one of these up in 10 minutes!

The first thing you’ll want to do is measure the size of the throw pillow you’re making a cover for.

Once you have your measurements you will want to add one inch to the length and the width. For example if I have a pillow that is 27″x27″ I will want to cut my FRONT piece 28″ x28″. If I have a pillow that is 6″ x 12″ I would cut my front piece 7″ x 13″.For your BACK pieces (depending on how much you want the flap in the back to overlap) you will want want the height to be the same measurement (so 28″ in example). For the width, both pieces need to add up to be more than 28″ (or height) when sewn together.

Once you have your three pieces of fabric ready, you are ready to sew!

1. Grab one of the BACK pieces and fold & iron 1/2 inch down on one of the 28” sides.

2. Fold over another 1/2 inch and iron down.

3. Pin your iron fold to make it secure.

4. Sew a 1/4” inseam down the side.

Repeat steps 1-4 on the other back piece.

Next you will lay your back piece right side or also called patterned side facing up on your table.

Then you will lay your back pieces right side facing down like the picture above.

Pin all 4 outer sides and sew a 1/4” inseam on all 4 outer sides.

Flip right side out and stuff with your pillow and you’re finished!!

Other pillows I’ve used this tutorial with…

Interested in making more throw pillows? Click here for the tutorials!

Post By: Kari Sweeten

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Shine Bright Throw Pillows

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:48:01 +0000

My daughter needed new throw pillows for her bed (her room colors are turquoise, gold, black, with accents of pink) and when I saw the brand new Shine Bright fabric from Riley Blake, I knew that was the fabric I was going to use!

Wait until you see this fun fabric.

The gals at Simple Simon and Co. (or “the Liz’s” as I like to call them because they both have the first name Elizabeth!) designed this fabric line with their daughters in mind to inspire them to shine bright in their unique ways.

My own daughter is such a light to those around her and my husband has always sang “You Are My Sunshine” to her since she was a baby to remind her how special she is. Whenever she hears the song she thinks it’s her song. I showed her this fabric and she instantly loved the word search fabric – she says if she can’t sleep she’ll just look for words like “courageous” “fantastic” “caring” and more!

I made three different pillow covers sizes 12×12, 16×16, and 12×16 – using my “go-to” pillow cover tutorial!

The tutorial is very simple to follow and you can whip these up in no time (well about 10 minutes!) If you’re adding pom pom trim add at least 20-30 minutes!

10 Minute Throw Pillow Tutorial

This is a great project for beginners, too. Once you start making them you won’t want to stop!

GIVEAWAY!

Want to win this fat quarter bundle? Click HERE to enter and to see all of the different pattern designs available in this beautiful “Shine Bright” collection!

POST BY: Kari Sweeten

This post was sponsored by Riley Blake Designs. All projects and opinions are mine.

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Envelope Lumbar Pillow Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 04:26:00 +0000

Hello readers of U-Create! I’m Krista from The Happy Housie and I am so excited to be here today sharing a simple sewing project for making your own Envelope Style Lumbar Pillows.

These are the perfect shape for using as a featuring pillow on a bed, or even on your sofa. The pillow I am sharing today was made for my son’s twin bed as part of an ongoing bedroom revamp for our boys’ bedroom.

I am beyond thrilled to be here at U-Create today sharing this project. As I said, I spend most of my bloggy time over at The Happy Housie . I called my blog this because I think of myself as a “housie”; someone whose hobby and passion is all kinds of house related stuff like decorating, crafting, organizing, and DIY projects… like these easy DIY Envelope Pillows.

To make this pillow I used:

– piece of fabric

– rotary cutter and mat (you could also just use a straight edge and scissors)

– sewing machine, sewing scissors, and thread

– iron and ironing board

– measuring tape

The trickiest part is figuring out the size that your fabric should be. First measure your pillow form. Mine was 14″ x 24″ so I cut my fabric to 15″ x 56″. You want to add about 1/2 inch for the seams along the non-envelope part and you add about 8″ for the overlap for the back.

Choosing your fabric size also depends on how full the form is you are using. For a full discussion of this, see my other envelope pillow tutorials here and here.

I used my rotary mat and cutter to help me slice up my fabric but you can just as easily measure it with your measuring tape, use a straight edge or ruler to mark it lightly on the back and cut it with some sewing scissors.

Next, you may wish to take the ends and iron a hem and run it through your sewing machine so that you will have nice clean edges on the back of your envelope pillow where the fabric overlaps..

I actually skipped this step and just used the rough sewn edge that the fabric came with as it was a 56″ width of fabric.

Once my piece of fabric was cut (and you have hemmed the two edges if you are doing so) lay the fabric out the right side (or pretty patterned side) facing IN on itself. I measured to make sure it was the dimensions I wanted (15″ x 56″) and then pinned it lightly.

I ironed it lightly to the correct size…

And then ran the open, pinned sides through my sewing machine…

Flipped it inside out…

And stuffed the pillow form inside of it.

These, literally, take minutes. I love making new pillows for all around our house. This is another lumbar pillow I made last spring…

And over at The Happy Housie I have a couple of tutorials for one-piece envelope pillows (using one piece of fabric, like this tutorial did) as well as two-piece envelope pillows (using a different backing fabric as you see in the yellow chevron pillows above).

I also have been sharing a few more fun projects for my boys’ bedroom revamp! I would love for you to hop over and check them out!

Thanks for reading. And remember, my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey.

POST BY:

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DIY Halloween Cat Pillow (with free template!)

Kari Sweeten — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 16:55:00 +0000

So excited to have our Belgian friend Ama here today sharing her cat pillow template. Ama has a gorgeous blog called OhOh Blog filled with many projects and beautiful photos!

You can grab black fabric and turn your cat into a throw pillow with this 10-minute throw pillow cover tutorial in no time!

Are you a cat lover? Pick your favorite color and leave it up all year round!

Download your template today!

Cat Pattern Template

HUGE thank you for Ama for sharing her creativity with us!

Let me show you what you’ll find over at OhOh Blog…

DIY Trio Zipped Bag

DIY Recycled Felt Basket

DIY Bracelet

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Pin Tucked Throw Pillow Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 22:07:00 +0000

I asked many of you which was your favorite pillow in my master bedroom makeover and most of you chose this one.

I made a pintucked duvet cover for my daughters bedroom last year and thought I would use the same concept for a pillow cover to add texture to my room.

Here are the simple details…

First we’re going to start on the front piece of the pillow. My throw pillow is a 12×12, so I cute it size 18×18 so I would have room to sew after I did my pin tucks.

Now I eyeballed my pintucks but if you’re afraid they won’t be precise you can draw a diagram like this. Put the dots on the wrong side (back side) of the fabric.

Step 1. Grab a small piece of fabric where you drew your dot.

Step 2. Twist about one 1/2” inch.

Step 3. Pin to hold and you’ll sew a straight line right where the pin is.

Step 4. Repeat steps in a diamond pattern and you will start to see beautiful pin tucks!

Now you are ready to put your pillow cover together!

Cut your pintucked piece you just worked on size 14×14 inches for your front piece and two back pieces each 14×9 inches.

1. Grab one of the back pieces and fold & iron 1/2 inch down on one of the 28” sides.

2. Fold over another 1/2 inch and iron down.

3. Pin your iron fold to make it secure.

4. Sew a 1/4” inseam down the side.

Repeat steps 1-4 on the other back piece.

Next you will lay your back piece right side or also called patterned side facing up on your table.

Then you will lay your back pieces right side facing down like the picture above.

Pin all 4 outer sides and sew a 1/4” inseam on all 4 outer sides.

Flip right side out and stuff with your pillow and you’re finished!!

I love throw pillows and if you’re interested in more tutorials check out my European Sham Tutorial and my Reversible Throw Pillow Tutorial!

Post By…

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European Pillow Sham Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 22:42:00 +0000

I used to working in a bedding department at the mall in high school and I discovered what was called a “European pillow”. I’ve never head of such a thing back then, but loved how they looked on the display beds we had to make.

During this bedroom makeover competition I knew I wanted big square European pillows and I can’t wait to show you how easy they are to create!

The dimensions of a European pillow sham or usually 26×26 or 28×28. I purchased a size 26×26 at my Kohl’s store and got to work making two shams.

Here are the simple steps…

You’ll need the three fabric pieces above.

*TIP* These dimensions are for a 26×26 European pillow, if you are using a 28×28 size you would just add two inches to the above dimensions.

1. Grab one of the back pieces and fold & iron 1/2 inch down on one of the 28” sides.

2. Fold over another 1/2 inch and iron down.

3. Pin your iron fold to make it secure.

4. Sew a 1/4” inseam down the side.

Repeat steps 1-4 on the other back piece.

Next you will lay your back piece right side or also called patterned side facing up on your table.

Then you will lay your back pieces right side facing down like the picture above.

Pin all 4 outer sides and sew a 1/4” inseam on all 4 outer sides.

Flip right side out and stuff with your pillow and you’re finished!!

Interested in making a reversible throw pillow?

The top left corner pictured is just that – reversible. Click HERE to see the other side! The pin tucked pillow and standard sham tutorials coming this week!

Post By…

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Master Bedroom Reveal!

Kari Sweeten — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 00:45:00 +0000

Let me start this post by saying how much I enjoyed sewing and creating these past 30 days.

One of the most rewarding remodels I’ve ever participated in! Not because of money or exposure as much as transforming a whole entire room and getting that feeling of accomplishment when I finish a large project. Also, it’s a double whammy because I was able to create with my friends! Are you kidding me? Life is good.

My sewing machine has been on overdrive and can I just tell you how wonderful it was to be sewing?!!! Honestly, I don’t have much time to sew lately and a huge thank you to JoAnn Craft Stores and HGTV Home Fabric for reminding me how much I love to sew!!

Alright, lets get down to it. Let’s start with some pillows…

My personal style includes LOTS of pillows on the bed!! You can find the tutorial for my Reversible Throw Pillow Tutorial, and the European, standard, and pin tuck pillow are in the works and will be coming soon!

Are you ready for some BEFORE and AFTER photos?!!

I’m so excited to show you my newly built and tufted headboard!! My fabulous husband, Michael did the building part and I did the button covers and tufting. So much fun and we love how it makes our smallish bedroom look larger!

Many of you have already asked what fabric I used for my headboard. It’s the HGTV HOME Orbit in color Quartz design. I am so in love with this solid fabric with a zig-zaggy texture!

Holy Moly draperies make such a HUGE difference!! Your probably saying “duh, Kari. You should know this being a DIY/Craft Blogger!” Okay, so I did know this, but I didn’t realize how the curtains would make the whole room look brand new!

This was my very first project in this challenge and I decided I love making draperies. My house is about to get a whole drapery makeover!! So fun!

Next, I lined my lamps with the same fabric I used for my draperies. I love the loopy look and the thick, quality of this home décor!

For those interested, I used HGTV HOME Looped in the color Fog for the draperies and the lamps.

Remember this “blah” area where I had a blank wall and a filing cabinet?! I’ve always wanted a sitting area in my bedroom so we moved the filing cabinet in the basement and found an old chair at a thrift store for only 4 bucks! It’s a steal right?

I used that minty green fabric (that I’m in love with by the way!) It’s the same as the headboard fabric but in color Glacier! I love it so much that I’ll definitely be using more of it in other areas of my home!

Oh, and let me give you a close up of the ottoman! A gal needs somewhere to rest her feet after a long day…

The fabric I used for this is called HGTV HOME Chevron Chic in color Glacier.

Here’s a shot of the old quilt I had and one pillow. I knew instantly that my new bedroom needed a duvet!

The pillows add so much!!! I definitely wasn’t afraid to go nuts with lots of patterns! You won’t believe how easy my new duvet was to create, too! I’ll share the tutorial with you soon and show you how super, simple it is to use that ruffle trim!

Next up? Remember this old pine dresser?! I wanted to paint it for awhile and decided to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and Grey. I topped it with a coat of clear wax…

…added some new knobs and I had a brand new dresser! The mirror? It’s the same mirror with the top cut off – I wanted the straight edge to be like the headboard.

I hope the photos give you a feel of warmth and peace when you look at them. It’s my new favorite room and I’m always hanging out in there, too! If you have any questions on this makeover process please feel free to email me and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Again, a HUGE thank you to JoAnn Craft Stores and HGTVHOME for giving me this opportunity to create my dream bedroom.

Post By…

This post sponsored by Joann Craft Stores and HGTVHOME. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Reversible Throw Pillow Tutorial

Kari Sweeten — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 11:43:00 +0000

This past week I have been sewing every day and loving it! I don’t get the chance to sew as much as I’d like, but playing in the HGTV Home Magic Challenge with Jo-Ann has motivated me to sew my little heart out!

Let me show you one of my finished projects.

I’m crazy about throw pillows and for this bedroom remodel you will see lots of them! They’re going to be “easy to sew”, too. This pillow took me a total of 15 minutes!

I love how I can turn it over and have a “two-in-one” pillow instantly!

Here are the simple steps…

Supplies:

Two pieces of fabric (cut one inch longer than your throw pillow on all sides.

Ex. I used a 14×10 throw pillow so I cut both pieces of my fabric 16×12)

Throw pillow form

Trim or any embellishments

Needle and matching thread.

Instructions:

After your pillow pieces are cut you will want to embellish your pillow.

I chose to use the new HGTV Home pre-ruffled trim – yes it’s already ruffled for you! Huge time saver right? It comes in many different colors, too.

It’s a piece of cake to sew with. I just laid the trim and pinned it in three inch stripes. Place your sewing machine in the center of the ruffle and sew onto fabric. Trim off the excess.

1. Sew right sides (the patterned sides) together down THREE sides. Leave one side open so you can insert the pillow.

2. Cut off the corners without cutting the x. You don’t want the pillow to come apart. Doing this makes the corners pointier.

3. Flip the pillow cover right side out.

4. Insert throw pillow.

5. Hand sew the bottom of the pillow shut with needle and a thread.

Enjoy your new throw pillow!!

Make sure to follow the HGTV Home Magic with Fabric & Trim challenge. How lucky am I? I get to redo my master bedroom and play in this challenge with 3 of my crafty friends!

Product Details:

HGTV Home Fabric #590262 Color: Quartz

Chevron Chic Fabric #5907273 Color: Glacier

Beige Ruffled Trim #12250700

The following review is part of the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores and HGTV HOME Magic with Fabric & Trim challenge. I received compensation for this review, however this is my personal, honest opinion based on my experience.

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Mustache Pillow Tutorial by Family Ever After

Kari Sweeten — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 19:52:00 +0000

Hi! I’m Rachel, and my blog is Family Ever After.
I’m so excited about guest posting on UCreate. I have met Kari, and I just adore her. UCreate was one of the first crafting blogs I ever read, and I’ve always been a loyal fan. It’s fun to be here, along with some of my other favorite sewing bloggers and friends!I am a country girl at heart… my 4 sisters and I grew up in South Dakota. I’ve know my husband since we were 12, he grew up there too! I went to college at BYU, where I learned how to sew, and majored in Family and Consumer Science Education. Right out of college, I taught middle school sewing for one year. I’m now living my dream being a mom to three kids. I’m very passionate about letting them “help” me do projects. Basically, my blog is a big mish mash of things I love: sewing, crafting, food, family, travel, gardening, running, and taking pictures of it all!

My project today is simple, yet fun. I made a mustache pillow! I know the mustache trend has been around for a while, and some of you are over it. But I am hoping this pillow will stand the test of time. It’s the latest addition to my Father’s Day decorations

There are so many fun projects you can make with a fat quarter of fabric. Sometimes, the fabric is so pretty that you just know it needs to be used in a quilt top. Other times, its fun to let the fabric do the talking. I have a growing stack of fat quarters on my shelf, and as I was digging through my “stache,” (hehe), I remembered I had bought this print months ago… it was just too fun to pass up. It was just begging me to sew it into a fun pillow…

This is a great project for little kids to help with (I am teaching my 7 year old daughter how to sew, and she loves helping with easy projects like this). We had so much fun making it, that we made two! (Two pillows out of 2 contrasting fat quarters).

My kids won’t stop playing with them! However, I’ll be packing them away soon, into our “Father’s Day Decorations Box.” These guys are only invited to live on my couch but once a year.

So anyway, here’s how we made them:

I began by drawing a template. It took a couple of tries to come up with something that I liked.

You will have to “free hand” draw yours. Mine ended up looking like a whale-ish. Then I flipped it over, traced it again, and then taped it together, overlapping it a few inches.

Then I gave the ‘stache a little trim cut out my 2 layers of fabric. If yours is a directional print, make sure you don’t cut it upside down. I cut through both layers at once, carefully using my rotary cutter.

Next, pin right sides together. Make a mental note or a small notch at the bottom, where you will leave a 4 inch opening. Mine was between the 2 blue pins.

Sew around the pillow with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, (except at the opening). When sewing around the mustache handlebars, go very slow, sew in the needle down position, and pivot a lot. I decreased my stitch length to reinforce my stitches. I then went back and repeated my stitches where the pillow would receive the most wear and tear, for added strength.

Once you’re finished sewing, turn it right sides out through the opening. Then carefully press along the seams so it lies flat.

Then stuff your pillow nice and full with batting. After that, give it a little running stitch shut, and tie off with a knot

Guess what? That’s it! A simple yet quirky project that you can make in half an hour.

xoxo, Rachel

See you there!

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