Monogram burlap pillow

If you haven't picked up on it yet from my other posts, I am pretty much obsessed with monograms. I feel that a set of monogrammed initials portrays a sense of neat, preppy style. It can add an interest to the simplest of things. And, of course, it lets others know that your stuff belongs to you. 

The summer weather has motivated us to begin decorating our back deck and pergola, in hopes of some late afternoon al fresco dining. We haven't officially decided on a color scheme for throw pillows, rugs, etc, but I had an idea for a pillow that I wanted to make. I decided since I was making it out of burlap, it would go with anything. I started with a 14x20 outdoor pillow form, cut 2 pieces of burlap to fit accordingly, and sewed it together. Next, I created a circular monogram of my initials using Adobe Illustrator, printed it to make a stencil, and cut the letters out with an xacto knife. I placed the stencil in the middle of the pillow cover, and painted it with "antique white" acrylic paint. I sealed the painted monogram with a sprayed coat of polyurethane to protect it from moisture. Finally, I sewed the bottom side of the pillow cover closed and took the pillow outside to see it in its new surroundings. I am thinking we will end up with a few more like this in with our backyard decor.