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Some facts about us: Together since May 2004, Matt & Kristin Married in May 2009. Between the two of us, we've lived in California, Hawaii, Guam, Japan and met here, in good ol' Virginia. We adopted two mini schnauzers, Hemingway & Mya aka The Pups. We bought our first home in May of 2011 and are ridiculously excited for all the DIY projects ahead of us.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Sewing Machine, Shmowing Machine

Who needs one of those stankin' machines when they have iron-on mending tape? Ok ok, I'm only bitter because I can't sew and am jealous of all of you who can. 

Matt wasn't a huge fan of the turquoise pillows in the family room that you saw during my Suitcase Side Table reveal.  You can check that out here.


I have to agree with the hubby, those pillow covers are just a little too much for the feel we're going for. Plus there was a big ink stain on one of them.  Shhhhhh, dont' tell anyone.

So, when i stumbled on this "Easy No Sew Pillow Cover" article I had to try it out.  Check it out here.

Even better, the article shows you how to make a removable pillow cover.  All you need is fabric, iron on adhesive and an iron. 

In order to do a normal sized 18" x 18" square pillow, you'd need one 19" x 19" piece of fabric and two 19"x14" pieces of fabric.  Basically, whatever size pillow case you want to make, add an inch to each size for the mending portion.

I found this fabulous fabric at Hancock Fabric in Midlothian.  It was on sale for less than 9 bucks a yard, and that's all I needed for two pillows.


Take the two small pieces and iron a seam at one end of each piece.  These will be for the portion of pillow that will make it removable.


Take your iron-on hemming tape, measure and cut it to fit under the seam.  Then follow the instructions on your package regarding the amount of time to iron each side of the seam.


Take the big piece of fabric and lay it face UP on your ironing board.  Take each of the smaller pieces and lay them face down with the two hemmed sides overlapping in the middle.  Cut the hemming tape to line the outer 4 sides of the pillow and iron them the same way you did the first hems.

Give it a few minutes to cool down.  Now you can turn the cover right side out and insert your pillow.




Not sure why I didn't take a picture of the back of my pillows... So here's a random "googled" picture of how it should look.


$9 fabric plus $2 hemming tape isn't bad for two new pillows.  Believe it or not, you can do better than that!  They have fabric as low as $1.00 a yard.  Of course the one that was perfect for this little project was a bit pricier, but still a great deal.  Try it out instead of paying $30 a piece for new pillows. 

3 comments:

  1. I love the chairs! Where did you find them?
    And I tried to make those pillow cases too the other day but by actually sewing, I think I would hav been better off using the hem tape. It my usual go to tool I don't know made me think I turn into a sewer over night.

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  2. They're actual from Pier 1! My good friend's Mom bought them to stage her house when they put it on the market. After that, they were stuck in storage. She paid $70 each for them (which is what I was planning on spending) and she sold them to me for $25/each! Yes, please. :)

    One day I may wake up and just *believe I can sew. When that day comes, don't come near me. I have a feeling there'll be one frustrated Asian American girl in Chesterfield.

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  3. Thanks for the great tips!! I have damaged pillows, thanks to my two dogs, that I'll to repair using your ideas. I'll let you know how they turn out. Wish me luck!

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