DIY- Throw Pillow Covers

I only found out recently that I can request my fabric to be cut by the exact inch at my local Joann..that definitely made my day.. so long are the days where I rounded up to the nearest quarter or half yard resulting in so much wasted fabric! I wanted to be a bit more careful with what I spend on these days esp if there isn't really a reason why I should spend more... but these pillows definitely broke the DIY budget. Totally worth it though. These were made for my sister's 30th birthday which is coming up. She mentioned that she needed new throw pillows since when she moved she bought cheap ones that were definitely flat now.. but what she had in mind was something that I thought wasn't too expensive for pillows... until I searched around for inserts... Joann has them for around 5-10 bucks... but I'm sure those won't last quite as long. The ones that she specified were $18.. super soft and fluffy.. from none other than Pottery Barn... so I guess they're quality? Who knows.. I've never shopped there.... and only went on a mission last weekend to get these specific pillows.

Now onto the fabrics. I went to my favorite store... (weird how I seem to go every week now... and still have yet to step foot in a Safeway since coming home... ) I noticed that Joann has a lot of new home fabrics that are reasonably priced... got me so excited... (more to come on future projects :) ) .. My sister and I went to Joann one day and looked at fabric and she really loved this print... reg $ 35 a yard. Yea... CRAZY...  I'm sure I could find better sewn cases for MUCH cheaper!... but.. well... since it was her birthday... and there was a 40% off deal going on... I cringed and hauled the roll over to the cutting table. "I want exactly 42 inches." ... no more no less... unfortunately she gave me 43.5 ... I mean I should be happy but... I only wanted to make one long cut down the middle...but that's what I did... and I just made my seam allowance... SUPER generous... if there's one thing I hate doing.. it's cutting a small strip of fabric... my scissors are pathetically dull and this fabric was ... thick and easily frayed... the ladies at the cutting counter always cut so much straighter and neater than me.... so I like using their ends rather than mine!

So I brought the fabric home... my mom surprisingly was in love with the print.. it's just so bold and clean.. then I told her how much... both of my parents were shocked...."what kind of fabric costs 35 dollars a yard?!"... yea.. THIS ONE... (but we all know how much Joann marks up their stuff... so I guess this is far from the actual worth) Since I knew I was going to making this for someone... and it'll be outside for all their guests to see and probably will be used everyday (I mean it's so soft!!).... I wanted to make sure that it was nice and even and that I made no cutting mistakes... these were my first ever pillow covers.. and... they were probably the easiest things I've sewn. I outlined all of my shapes with an eyebrow pencil..(marks well!.. but I think it's time to invest in a fabric pencil/pen) I made it an envelope pillowcase since I didn't think I could make a nice button hole.. and I've never sewn a zipper before... I think these look great.. all in all... each pillow cost $30 bucks.. the sale at Joann could definitely be better ( I landed an extra 20% off coupon total purchase at the end of the week :(( ) ... oh well...it's done.. and hopefully will last for awhile.

Problems -
-fraying.. I should have zigzaged the edges before I hemmed the seams for the opening
- these pillows out of their bag... smell SO badly. I couldn't even leave them in my room... it make the whole room stink! I spent the week airing them out in the den with occasional spritz of febreeze. The smell was synthetic... it just didn't smell ...healthy? haha...I don't know...maybe that's what feathers smell like...  shame on you Pottery Barn for having such a smelly product!! After around 4 days... the smell seemed to go away... but to be sure and nice... I think before I give it to her I'll spray the pillows with perfume... or at least rub it with a bounce sheet....

These covers were a bit too loose.. so I inverted it and sewed another line in about an inch to make it more of a snug fit. surprising that this happened to both pillows, they 20.5 inches... on a 20 inch pillow insert... final size was 19.5 inch

Happy Birthday Sister! 

p.s. - I made sure I sewed a straight line on these covers.. because you definitely laughed too  hard when you looked at my herringbone quilt :-P