Spicy Pillows....so hot right now!

If it isn't already too obvious- I'm a fabric lover...some may call me a hoarder but I prefer collector or connoisseur. I have a closet full of beautiful fabric. Among the many, many, MANY large scale linen prints, I have silks, velvets...even maybe a leather or two. Believe me, I've collected more than my fair share of fabrics. I am seriously concerned that someday my piles and piles will end up in the apartment below us...ok, maybe not...but that gives you an idea of how much fabric I actually have saved up over the last few years.

So what do you do with so much fabric, you ask? Well, besides a handful of hot pads, woven rugs, and bags, I've really enjoyed sewing pillows! As I've mentioned before, I'm a self taught sewer so I jump on anything that helps me improve. I've made monogram pillows for my sisters and my sis 'n law (who also added a few more pillows to her collection a couple Christmas' ago). I've whipped up a set for my Aunt. I've made a ba-zillion (ok...more like 15-20) different pillows for our living room and bedroom over the past few years. They are a simple way to spice up a room. Its always exciting to pull the bins out of the good 'ol craft closet and build a color palette. It helps remind me why I push myself every evening and weekend...it makes me feel creative and alive! 

Most recently, my mother in law, Leslye, asked me to sew some pillows for her. She and her husband, Don, visited last November and we spent some time digging through the piles of pattern and color. 

She brought a few photos of pottery she has on display in her living room and away we went...pawing through the piles of fabrics and here is how everything came together....

Spicy, bold, summery colors...a mouthwatering salsa and guacamole color palette! (am I making you hungry?!) I love this classic but fresh combo. We mixed prints, velvet, dots, stripes, embroideries...a little bit of everything but it came together beautifully!

The pillows I've made in the past have had an envelope closure in the back so the pillow can easily slip in and out. I made Leslye's pillows two sided so she can mix and match until her heart is content!

Side 1 on the left and Side 2 on the left:

And of course a few a group shots for good measure:

And another satisfied customer...and sofa!

More projects to come soon!! :)

New bedding is a girl's best friend...

Over the past three and a half years, the bedroom became a catch all for bills, magazines, laundry...and fabric (my fault!). It wasn't as relaxing as it should have been and it definitely wasn't aesthetically pleasing. Our duvet cover was too neutral, our decorative pillows were from my college days, and our sheets had been through too many tumbles in the extra hot dryers in the basement of our apartment building. A little organizing and rearranging would help but fresh new bedding and throw pillows would make all the difference.

I had a stock pile of my favorite fabrics but no jumping off point...I didn't have that statement piece I needed to build the bed around. That is, until Christmas morning when I opened a present from Erik. He bought me a vintage pillow cover with two embroidered love birds. The inspiration piece I needed!

I started throwing fabrics around and a slate blue and tomato red color scheme fell into place. The fabrics were a mix of soft, cut velvet floral patterns with edgy, flame stitch and geometric patterns. It was masculine and feminine...the perfect balance for a young married couple!

As luck would have it, this makeover just happened to be at the same time many stores have their January bedding and bath sales. I spent last Sunday afternoon searching through online deals and finally found a duvet cover, matching shams, and fun sheets. I was super excited but a little worried that the color wouldn't be right. For someone obsessed with fabric and color, ordering the bedding online without touching it and seeing the color in person was a little scary for me. Thankfully, the bedding arrived and it looked great with the fabric I selected from my stash!

The next step was sewing up a few simple pillow covers. Each have an envelope closure in a coordinating fabric. Check out the four pillows, front and back, below:

And after a very productive Sunday.....the finished product! Sweet dreams!

Our bed skirt just happened to work with everything. The printed fabric hanging on the wall is a piece I made in college.

A Homemade Christmas

The presents have been opened and the wrapping paper and bows are long gone. The holidays are finally over. Now that the gifts have been given and I can no longer ruin the surprise, I can finally share what I've been working on this holiday season!

The past few years I've been obsessed with the homemade gift. My love for making things by hand and  supporting my fellow Etsy shops are two of many reasons my family and friends have received handmade goodies recently. I spent all of December sewing away at a few fun gifts for a few important people. I tell myself that waiting until December to make my gifts is not procrastination...I wait until last minute because I  work best under pressure! I think I know how Santa's elves feel...

My sister-in-law, Julie, mentioned she wanted pillows to match her bright green, black, and white color scheme in her cute little apartment. When I searched through my fabrics, I couldn't decide which patterns I liked best. My solution?  Use all of them! I pieced together stripes, dots, velvet, silk (just about everything) and here is what I came up with.

My Mom and sisters received huge (and I mean HUGE!) overnight bags. My favorite task is finding fabrics to fit each personality. My day job has enabled my fabric hoarding so I have a closet full of beautiful fabric to chose from.

 I'm a self-taught sewer and always want to improve so I chose a pattern that was a little outside of my comfort zone. The pattern is from an Amy Butler book and I have to say, I am proud of myself! I did a test run a couple months ago and enjoyed making it. By the time I was on the forth bag, I didn't need the instructions!

Here is the test run:

Here is my Mom's (who helped pick the fabric!):

My sister Jill's bag has a 'beachy' theme:

A finally my sister Rachel's bag, with a bright and bold lining:

I still have one more gift to give before I can post a pic. Check back soon to see what I made for my mother-in-law, Leslye!

If you like any of the bags or pillows you see, please let me know. Any of them can be customized for you...like I said before, I'm a borderline fabric hoarder so I have a variety of patterns and colors!

Coming soon....pics from a special New Year's Eve event I attended this year!