Simple Sewing

As promised, I'm sharing what I've made with my new sewing machine thus far.  I look forward to many years of fun projects, and if you want to see some of my future projects, check out my DIY Stuff to Wear board on Pinterest along with my Sew What category.  Who knows when I'll get to all those fab projects, but inspiration is the first step, right?

Sew far (please forgive the sewing pun, I couldn't resist!) I've made some long overdue pillows and a cafe curtain.

When we bought our couch a few years ago, I had the idea to recover the existing pillows that came with the couch.  The pillows were very bland; in fact, they were the same exact fabric as the couch.  I say when life hands you plain pillows, make awesome pillows--or lemonade or something like that.

Here's the couch, being graced by the presence of awesome new pillows:

 

Now, let's talk fabric.

The pillow in the background is made with Waverly's Groovy Grille in Harvest.  It's available at JoAnn fabric and lemme tell ya, no less than 4 perfect strangers complimented this fabric before I even left the store.  I was feeling pretty confident in my choice after that.

The pillow in the foreground is made with Arcadia by Sanae for Moda.  While one of the local shops here in Melbourne is still carrying this line, I have had trouble finding it online.  Isn't it awesome fabric???  Sharon and I both bought some of this fabric because we love it so.  Because it's quilting cotton, I added piping around the pillow to give better structure and a more polished appearance.  I'm glad I did--it was worth the little bit of extra effort.  Fo' sho.

 

So, I know you're tired of seeing this flower embellished pillow and my crocheted rose pillow, but you'll notice a new guy in the back.  The fabric is from the Outside Oslo line from Jessica Jones.  Specifically it's the Tulip print in Dawn.  LOVE!  You can purchase this fabric and all of Jessica's amazing fabrics through the Needle Shop on Etsy.  (They're a great seller--quick service and good prices!)  I love how well the fabric complements my curtains.  Ahh, bliss.

 

Last but not least, I made a cafe curtain for my kitchen.  A few years ago, James made me a shelf on which I store my Kitchen Aid mixer, food processor, blender, etc. because I'm morally opposed to keeping them on my counter.   (Clutter attracts clutter, folks, especially in my case.)  I made a cute little curtain to hide away all of those appliances.  The fabric is Richloom Cornwall Garden.  I found it as a remnant at Old Time Pottery for $5/yard, which is a steal! Fabric.com sells it for just under $20/yard, which is still reasonable when you consider the quality.  Pier 1 has a lot of outdoor furniture featuring this fabric right now.

After nearly 5 years of living in our home, I'm just now getting to where I really know my style.  It took years to develop it--and I have to get over my fear of color.  Once I got brave and secure in my love of funky stuff and bright colors, my house started to take shape.  It's a work in progress for sure, but I'm sure my new machine will be very helpful along the way.  It already has been.