My "All Time Favorite"

Oh my – I love a good pillow!  I’ve been designing and making pillows for – EVER.  I have them everywhere – on the sofa, a chair, the bed, even the floor – anywhere.  They are all mismatched, some left over remnants from my stash, others are made from gorgeous fabrics trimmed with crystal beads.  It doesn’t matter to me – I just adore pillows.

So, here’s the thing….

My best friend has a sweater fetish.  Every sweater he owns is his "all time favorite.”

Years ago he purchased a cream Ralph Lauren knitted sweater with the American Flag on the chest.  He literally wore it to death.  A while back he brought this “all time favorite” to me and asked if I could get a stain out. After investigating the nature of the stain I realizing it had been sitting for some time weeksI  I turned to him and said “Sure – if you had brought it to me at the time.....but, now?” Whatever he had dripped on it was SET - just below the flag. There was no way that stain was coming out. I figured it was destined for the work clothes pile but not before I attempt to remove the stain, which ended up a fruitless exercise.

Tools for this project:

• a sewing machine
• trim
• pillow form
• needle and thread
• scissors or rotary cutter and tools

A great old sweater

 

The stain was below the flag so I thought I could do something with the best part of the sweater. The back was in great shape – it was just that stain on the front.  Off to the rescue.

At Atlantic Fabric I found a lumbar pillow form in a size I could work with and a coordinating cord trim.

CUTTING: Making sure the flag was in the middle of the pillow, I used my rotary cutter and trimmed the sweater (front and back) to fit the form, including a 1/2" seam allowance. You can use scissors to cut the sweater, I use a rotary cutter and tools as I find it quick and simple and leaves a clean edge.

TRIM and SEWING: The next step was to attach the cord trim to the right side of the back piece. Line  the edge of the cord binding with the edge of the back piece and pin in place (the cord is facing towards the center). Sew the trim in place all the way around the back of the pillow.

With right sides together, pin the front and back together leaving an open edge on the bottom. Be sure to sew around the corners on the bottom and leave the opening in the middle. Stitch around the pillow following the stitches where the trim was attached.

At this point clipping the corners of your pillow will assure a crisp edge. Three clips from the seam allowance to the stitch line corner seam will suffice (be careful not to clip the seam).Tidy up any threads or uneven edges and turn the pillow right sides out. 

FINISHING: Push the corners of the pillow out so they are nice and crisp.  Insert the pillow form and push the corners of the form into the corners so it is neat and snug. 

Neatly slipstitch the opening at the bottom of the pillow and TA-DA!  Easy!

Now a sweater is an "All Time Favorite" Pillow

Although disappointed I was not able to work my magic on his all time favorite sweater, he does have a reminder of the good ole days….and he appreciated my effort.

Do you have an old work shirt, sweater, blanket or article around your house that could be turned into something special?  Send me a picture and I will provide a quote for turning your “all time favorite” into a cherished keepsake.

Creativity is contagious – Pass it on!

                                             - Albert Einstein

Until next time – Live Simply!

Mary Elizabeth

     

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