Don't forget to poke the photos to enlarge!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Fast, No Sew, Pillows...

I am not in the mood for sewing, so I decided to do no sew bed pillows. Please follow me for instructions. Here we go. Don't forget to poke the pictures.

Get out some Aleene's Tacky Glue, sharp scissors and tweezers.

Find some cotton fabric that you like and some low loft quilt batting. Don't try fluffy quilt batting for this one. It doesn't work as well. Trust me....

Cut a piece of batting three times as long as the width of the pillow that you want to make. I cut these 3 3/4" long and 2"wide The result is a 24" by 15" Pillow in real life. When the batting is folded in thirds, the mini pillow is 1 1/4" by 2".

Next I cut a piece for the outside from my striped cotton. I made that piece wrap around the pillow with 1/2" extra on the raw edges all around. If you are lucky, you will find some fabric with a nice salvage like the one that I am using. If not, allow enough on one long edge for a glued hem. Glue the hem under if you have to do it this way.

Here's the tricky part. If you are doing this for the first time, I suggest that you get out an iron and turn under the three edges by pressing in one long edge(this will be folded in half) and two shorter edges in 1/4" only. You will need the extra for ease around the pillow.

Starting at the long edge, put glue on the folded edge that is turned down...See photo. Do not glue it to the inside of the pillow. Allow the seam to stay free of the pillow. It will look like the second case in this photo on the inside.

Next, glue the side seam the same way. Again, glue selvage to selvage....Not to the inside of the pillow. I did this seam half at a time to make sure that it didn't stick to the inside of the case.

When that is finished and dry, take a pair of tweezers and put the pillow form between them all the way to the other end of the pillow. This is the easy way to get the batting in, without messing it up. I learned the hard way that you can't just stuff it in with your fingers.

When it is all the way in, you can use a skewer or the points of your scissors to make sure that the corners are in correctly.

Last step is to put just a couple of dots of glue along the inside edge and pinch the edges together. This makes the fabric look like it has some weight. It doesn't stick up unnaturally.


I put up the curtain next to the bed. I did this by gluing the top of the curtain to a strip of wood, above the bookcase. Then I glued the curtain to the bookcase side. I put a piece of molding across the front of it to hide the top. When the roof is in place, the top will never be seen again.

As soon as the glue was dry, Zar started putting things in the shelves. The nice thing about the pillows is, they are scrunchy just like real ones. He can bend one to shove under his elbow whilst he reads.

I may have difficulty doing anything else in the bedroom today....I guess I should move on to the living room or kitchen now...

Tessie's nose is, once again out of joint. She is putting the screws to Zar for another week worth of Casey rental....He isn't going for two cookies, one muffin a day plus "expences". Who knows what she will consider expenses if he says yes...?

She is sitting in his living room pouting. Let them work it out. I am going someplace that is not here, now.

See you tomorrow.

10 comments:

Michelle said...

This is great and it looks easy even to me! lol

I love the bed though, your beds always look so comfy and cosy and you always get the pleats etc looking so realistic.

Michelle xx

Alienora said...

Thank you! Great idea! I'm finishing my bedroom pillows traditional way... but next set for change I try your way!

Kathi said...

Fast, no sew... that's for me! The bed looks great! Can't wait to see the kitchen. :D

Deni said...

they are great!
Thats the only way I like to make pillows for the beds! and everything else I can, now I think about it!lol
Zar looks very comfortable indeed!

April said...

I want you to come and build me a reading/bed nook like that at our house. How much would it set me back? Oh, and full-adult human size please.

Eliana said...

It's beautiful the place to the bed ... Zar deserves the rest. : D

Merri said...

Zar now has a WONDERFUL bed..so cozy comfy! Love those pillows too.

As for Tessie and her 'experiences' she's hinting at for Zar?

I will not think about that. I will not. No. Nope.

Anonymous said...

Wow i love the new sew pillows, am defo going to have a go at that, your bed is wonderful thankyou x

Elderberry said...

It looks great!

Caseymini said...

Merri! Not experiences! Expences!LOL
April, the usual "daughter rate" applies...You might have Seth take a sledge hammer to your front bedroom wall and build an extention. I don't do that part. I only do interiors on big things.