Bikes are nice, and pillows too!

I’m sew glad it’s DIY Day (hardy har har)! But really, I’m pretty excited to show you my first successful sewing machine project.

I have to also link this to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy, because I used two of her awesome images. I decided awhile ago I wanted to make some new slipcovers for a few of the sofa pillows, and finding some great linen-esq fabric in the remnant bin at Jo-Ann’s gave me all the motivation I needed.

To make my pillow covers, I went with a simple envelope style. You can find great tutorials for this kind of pillow cover all over the internet, so I’m only go to give you the jist.

1. Measure your pillow and cut a rectangle of fabric that is an inch wider and twice as long plus seven inches. My pillow was 10 x 10 so my fabric was 11 x 27.

2. Iron well and crease ¼ inch hem on the short ends of the fabric. Pin and sew hems.

3. Next, lay your fabric right side down and place the pillow in the middle. Fold the edges towards the middle of the pillow until they overlap. Make sure there is a little wiggle room. Slide the pillow out of the fabric and pin.

4. Sew a straight seam down each of the pinned edges.
5. Now, turn the pillow right side out, and you’re in business.

Here’s my pillow after a little fluffing.

I liked it, but it needed a little something to spice it up. After browsing The Graphics Fairy website, I found two awesome bike images (bike plan, bike ad). I altered the backgrounds in Picasa until both images had the same tone. Next, I put them in Word to reverse the writing and enlarge.

I printed the images onto iron on transfer paper. A few quality minutes with my iron later, and I had these beauties.

I love how simple and graphic they are.

It’s nice to have something to break up all that plaid!

Thanks for stopping by!

<3
Hattie