Ready for Football Season...

I have used natural colored burlap for tons and tons of projects. I have a thing for burlap. But I had never used colored burlap until I made these pillows. I made the Auburn pillow for a bride-to-be who is also an Auburn grad. She is getting married in September and is having a football area for the wedding party to watch the games before the ceremony. Her future husband is an LSU fan so she decided to decorate using a "house divided" theme. She contacted me to make 2 pillows for each team. So, this is just one of the four that I will be making.

When I bought the orange burlap material, I realized that there was a red color that could easily pass for crimson. Being an Alabama fan and alumni, I knew there was no way that I could make an Auburn pillow with out making an Alabama one too. 

For both pillows, I hand painted the team logos and then sewed the burlap to make a cover for the pillow form. Of course, I like one a bit more than the other, but I think they both turned out great. Now, I am just ready for football season!

Copycat Pottery Barn cube

Pottery Barn twill cube $99

Around Christmas time last year, I came across a twill cube ottoman in Pottery Barn. It wasn't anything eccentric or gorgeous, but its simplicity won me over and I almost bought the thing more than once. Thankfully I came to the conclusion that I didn't need to spend $100 on an oversized cube that I had no place for. 

Pottery Barn outdoor cube $159 $125

Over time, the perfect cube slipped my mind. That is until its outdoor twin debuted in the Spring Pottery Barn catalog. This one costing $159. I knew I wasn't going to make the purchase but that didn't stop me from dreaming about it. 

plush baby blocks

I'm usually always thinking of ways to make a copy-cat version of expensive items that I yearn for, but for some reason, it never crossed my mind that I could easily create a replica of the PB cushion. Then it hit me. When I was making the plush baby blocks for one of my friends who is expecting, I realized the blocks were tiny versions of my beloved cube. 

my copy-cat cube

A friend had given me a huge roll of canvas material, which happened to be the perfect color and texture. I wanted my cube to be pretty large so I cut six (20") squares of material, and six (20") squares of fusible interfacing material. I ironed a square of the interfacing material to each square of canvas to make the sides sturdy and give it a perfect cubed shape. Next I lined up the edges and sewed the right sides of the material together, until I had a cube with one side left unstitched. I stuffed it with tons and tons of polyfil. I'm really not sure how much it took because I used what I had around the house and then bought a 50 oz. bag to finish it off. Afterwards, I kind of wished I had monogrammed an "M" on one side and at some point I might un-stuff the thing and do that. Overall, it ended up costing me about $8 for the polyfil and I think it looks pretty similar to the Pottery Barn version. Now, I'm thinking about making one out of burlap.

my cube in the living room

Blocks and Burp Cloths

In my last post, I wrote about organizing tons and tons of fabric. In the process, I found some very cute prints that I thought would be perfect for making a baby gift. It just so happens that one of my college roommates is pregnant and having a baby girl. I decided to use a variety of material to make soft fabric blocks and matching burp cloths. 

I started off by choosing a variety of fabric to create 5 blocks. I made a 5.5" square in Microsoft Word, printed it for my pattern. Next I cut 6 squares of fabric for each block, for a total of 30. Then I sewed (yes, I actually sewed these) all of the squares together, right sides facing, and stuffed them with Polyfil. 

For the burp cloths, I started with two plain white cloth diapers. Then I chose a few of the fabric patterns that coordinate with the blocks to create a layout for the front side of the cloth. I added a button and a little loop of ribbon so that they could be hung in the nursery or attached to a car seat or diaper bag. 

This is probably one of my favorite projects that I have made lately. I was also quite proud that I sewed almost everything by myself. I did scream at the sewing machine a few times before I remembered all the tricks of the trade. I really liked the burp cloths because the ones sold in stores, although just as useful, all look alike and are all boring. But, the blocks are what really excite me. They are so soft and fuzzy and perfect for a girly nursery. Plus, the are much safer for a baby than the original wooden variety. Maybe I will try a set of baby boy blocks next.