DIY Maven

Ever since I started seeing blossom (or ‘rose’) pillow tutorials all over the place, I’ve wanted to do one. However, I’d been putting it off because I was not relishing making all those tubes that I’d have to turn inside right and gather up. Then, a few weeks ago while going through my fabric stash, I came across about a yard of lightweight gray cotton leftovers, and it occurred to me that tubes weren’t the way to go at all. NO…RIPPED STRIPS were the way to go. Why? Because not only would they make the construction super simple, the raw edges would actually enhance the organic nature of the flower itself. So I finally got to work, and about an hour later I had a pretty blossom pillow all of my own.

To make it, I simply ripped 2″ strips from my fabric, which was a little over 1 yard in length. I ripped 4 strips but ended up only using 2.

Then I set my sewing machine for the longest stitch possible (4 per inch) and I ran a stitch very close to one long side of each of the strips and gathered them up, knotting the ends of the thread to keep them from UN-ravelling.

I set the gathered strips aside and made my pillow cover using this technique.

Then I inserted my pillow form and started hand-sewing on the blossom. I did this by winding up the strips like a big Cinnabon and sewed the gathered edge onto the pillow cover. Why did I sew it on with the pillow form already inside? So I knew my blossom would be perfectly centered. (I’m weird that way.) Plus, when I was done sewing on the blossom, the pillow would be finished!

To prevent myself from catching the pillow insert with my needle and thread, I slipped one of the acrylic ‘sandwich’ plates from my Cuttlebug inside the pillow. After I was done sewing on the flower, I just slipped the plate out from the opening in the back of the pillow. (If you don’t have a square of acrylic sitting around, a small plate or even a piece of thin wood might do.)

See the outline of the Cuttlebug plate??

And here’s what it looks like…all done and in full bloom!

I had no idea what draping was (as it pertains to clothing design) before I saw the designers on Project Runway physically drape their dress forms with fabric to construct their garments. Although I don’t sew clothes anymore, I’m still an avid home-decor item sewer, so when I saw all that draping happening, I thought, “Duh…basket liner!” The technique couldn’t be simpler, and although I made a liner for a rectangular basket (a large Waterhyacinth basket from Pier 1), it would work equally well for a round/oblong one too. So this is what I did…

Step 1:  I turned my basket over to use as a dress form. Then, using leftover white denim I had in my stash, I cut a long rectangle to go from the left side, bottom and right side of the basket, making sure I had about 4 inches excess at the basket’s top edge (facing down in the picture).

Step 2: Then I cut two pieces for the front and back of the basket, also making sure I had about 4 inches excess at the basket’s top edge. These two pieces I pinned to the longer piece from step 1.

Step 3: Using about 1/2″ seam allowances, I sewed up the four corners and the two bottom seams and pinked them when done.

Step 4: To finish up, I turned down the top seam 3/4″, pressed, and then turned it down and pressed again, pinning it into place.  I sewed near the first fold to form a gusset (leaving a 2″ access hole) and then ran a length of 1/2″ elastic through. When the elastic felt taught but not too taught, I sewed its ends together, and then I sewed up the access hole.

Here’s a picture of a ‘dry fit’.

And here’s the result!  A nicely fitted basket PERFECT for my current yarn project. I love its functional yet decorative quality. A MUST when you like to leave your knitting within arms length when watching Project Runway.