5 days of favorite projects {day 3}

So, I hate to disappoint you regular readers, but there is no What I Wore post today. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to see anything I wore this past week anyway.  And it was sort of nice to have a break from awkwardly posing in front of a flimsy mirror while trying to decide if I smile or squint or put my hand on my hip or what.  One of my friends at church this weekend said her husband walked in and saw her looking at my WIW post and thought it was really dumb that I take photos of my outfits. I totally agree, Anthony, it is dumb. But it forces me to get dressed everyday so that I look presentable for all my ladies here and that makes it worth it.   Plus you all say nice things to me and sometimes a girl likes a compliment.

****edited***

Did that sound rude? I didn’t mean for it to. And my friend at church and I were joking about it so I was not offended. I think I didn’t say that right.

ANYWAY…

How about we skip right to day three of the

favorite projects

Today I thought I’d show you how to make a fabulous

ruffle

Here is what you’ll need:

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:: fabric {I used a cotton curtain panel from IKEA}

:: pillow form

:: scissors

:: pins

:: tape measure

:: sewing machine & thread

STEP ONE: cut out the pillow front & back

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My pillow form was 12 x 16, so I cut two pieces of fabric to be 13 x 17 {giving me a 1/2” seam allowance on all sides}

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STEP TWO: cut strips for the ruffles

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There is no need to be exact here. Just eyeball the strips to be approximately 1 3/4” wide. Your length will depend on the height of your pillow – I cut five strips at 57” so that I could cut them in half once ruffled to give me a total of 10 ruffles.  If you make the length about two times the height of your pillow, you should be fine.

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STEP THREE: ruffle the strips

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with your machine set to the longest stitch {check your sewing machine manual if you aren’t sure how to do it}

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sew down the middle of the strip, making sure to leave a long thread at the beginning {and not backstitching to start}

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then pull the bobbin thread {or which ever one seems easiest to pull} and ruffle the fabric.

Continue with all of the strips until you have a delightful pile of ruffles.

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STEP FOUR: pin the ruffles to the pillow front

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Starting in the center, pin a ruffle down the front.

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Since I made my strips long enough for two lengths, I cut it once it was pinned to create a second ruffle.

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Continue to pin the ruffles as close together {or apart} as you like. Just be sure to leave room on either side for your seam allowance.

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STEP FIVE: stitch on the ruffles

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With your machine set to a regular size stitch, begin with the center ruffle and sew down from the top {using a backstitch to secure}.

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Use the stitching down the center of the ruffle as your guide, backstitching to finish each row. Continue until all rows of ruffles have been stitched down.

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STEP SIX: trim the excess

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here is what your pillow front will look like:

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STEP SEVEN: sew the front & back together

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With right sides together, stitch around the perimeter of the pillow {make sure to leave a wide opening in the side to insert your pillow form}.

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Backstitch to secure the opening.

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STEP EIGHT: trim the extra fabric

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and cut a diagonal at the corners

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STEP NINE: turn the pillow inside out

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STEP TEN: insert the pillow form & hand stitch shut

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Of course, if you wanted to do it the right way, you could add a zipper.  My mom {the expert seamstress} is probably appalled that I didn’t put one in, but stitching it closed is easier. Plus, since I didn’t ‘finish’ the edges of the ruffles, they will fray like crazy if you put them in the washer & dryer, so no need to make the pillow cover removable.

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BEAUTIFUL!

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Obviously, you can vary the fabric & ruffle number & width to create a totally unique pillow.

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{velvet}

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{three wide ruffles}

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{very frayed blue organic cotton canvas}

The same method of ruffling was used to make the curtains in the nursery

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as well as my sweet ruffle headbands

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Another option: add a double layer to a personalized tote bag

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So many possibilities with a simple little ruffle.

Have you enjoyed our week of tutorials so far?

I hope so!

Tomorrow’s project is another ruffle-y one – only this time not made with fabric.

Hmmm … what could it be?

Come on back for day 4 to find out.

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