Crafty Bitch(es) - Round Three

So not too many of my friends are really all that interested in home décor and DIY… one exception to that rule is my pal, Kendall. Last week, she sent me an e-mail with two super-cute DIY throw pillows, so of course we planned a date to craft. (Aren’t we cool?) Before I start, let’s get one thing straight, I LOVE to craft but my skill set is somewhat… limited. So when we planned to do the throw pillows, we quickly realized that we needed to “fake it til we make it.”

So instead of actually making the pillows, we hopped on over to Ikea (which is conveniently about 10 minutes from my house) to buy the throw pillows and the throw pillow case. Before you start thinking that most of our work was done, I’d tell you to get off your high horse. It was quite a bit of work. :-)

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a few people for which this pillow would not have been possible. (I’m watching the Oscars right now and I think I’m getting a little inspired. Or tipsy.) First, I’d like to thank my Mom. I called her about 4 times throughout the day. Thanks for answering your phone and/or calling me back each time even though you were at work trying to deliver babies. She is my crafting idol. Next, my pal Kendall. Her eternal optimism was greatly appreciated during the mini-meltdown I had during flower making. She’s also pretty resourceful; you’ll see what I mean below. Finally, my husband who acts super enthusiastic about my little DIY projects.

Now when I first spotted this Dwell throw pillow from Target, I really wanted it, but I just wasn’t feeling the $25 price tag, especially considering I have a bed full of pillows to buy. So, we decided to DIY it. I’ll warn you (in case you feel like taking this on) that this was a many-hour project.

First, you’ll want to take the throw pillow cover and divide it into 9 sections by folding and IRONING the edges down, sort of like this.

Then, you’ll take your fabric (choose whatever color you’d like your flowers to be) and cut into two inch strips. Cut as many strips as flowers you’d like to have. Fold in half lengthwise and iron, like so…

Next you’ll need some kind of backing for which to create and glue your flowers to. The tutorial said interfacing. It was at this point in time that we called my Mom to learn exactly what that was. After learning what interfacing is and realizing we didn’t have anything, we decided to get a little creative. (Kendall’s idea.) Insert dryer sheets because we’re klassy like that.

I will tell you that if you choose to go cheap-o like us, be sure to wash the dryer sheets to remove the scent/oil, then throw them in the dryer. Check out Kendall. Get it girl.

So, then you make your flowers. Sounds easy, right? Not quite. I had a bit of a meltdown doing this. I’m pretty sure Kendall thought I was going to lose it for a minute there. So, here’s a short tutorial (although there are tons of YouTube videos and blog posts in more detail).

Take a strip of fabric, tie a knot on one end then start some kind of variation between wrapping and twisting. Still not totally sure how I did it. Hot glue as you go on the backing you use. (For us, our trusty dryer sheets.) It’ll look something like this:

Then, once you create the first flower, you’ll look super-proud, like this:

Now do that eight more times. Sweet Jesus, it took a long time. Then, simply hot glue each flower onto your throw pillow. If you’re a laid-back, confident lady like Miss Kendall, you just eye it and it looks perfect. If you’re like me, you get our your trusty tape measure, measure it five times, then carefully glue each flower, then scrutinize, get up, walk around, come back and look at it for another five minutes. Then, decide it looks pretty darn good. Then, I repeated that eight more times.

Here’s the final product and I’m pretty darn proud of Kendall and myself!

Total cost? about 13 bucks. Ikea pillow: $3; Ikea throw pillow cover: $6.99; fabric from Hobby Lobby: $2.79. Not bad. It’s the first piece I’ve made for my “gray and yellow” themed guest room I’ll be working on this spring.

Hope everyone has a great week!