Throw Cushions and More!
Greetings, My Friends!
I hope you are all having a great week! Mine is going well, and here’s a post with some pics to show you how the “Cushion Project” is coming along.
First, I spent most of last week getting all the rest of the pieces for the project cut out and shopping for the remaining supplies (what fun!)
This week I’ve been working on the throw pillows and here’s what I’ve got so far:
First I made all of the piping for the 4 throw pillows for the dining chairs from the printed fabric. (The throw pillows are being made from the stripe):
Making the Floral Piping
And then I made the covered buttons for these pillow covers. I chose to isolate a flower motif from the floral fabric that fits on the 1″ button form:
Covering the Buttons
Covered Button
Aren’t those buttons awesomely cute?!
Then I sewed the piping to one side of the pillow cover to hold it in place, and then I sewed the back to the front of the pillow cover, leaving an opening to turn the cover to the right side. I turned the pillow cover right side out and inserted the pillow form I purchased. I then hand-stitched the opening closed.
After finishing the sewing the opening closed, I measured the pillow to find the exact center and sewed the covered buttons onto the pillow pulling them in to make the “tuft”. And here is the finished product:
Finished Throw Pillow
Well, that’s what is going on here in Learn How to Sew land! I will keep you all up to date on the project! Thank you so much for visiting today…I hope you enjoyed your visit and will return soon!
Talk to you soon,
Paula
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Cutting the Floral Fabric
Greetings Readers!
Today my post is about cutting the floral fabric for the “Cushion Project”….as I’ve named this project – LOL. The floral fabric is being used for the dining chair seats, the deck box cover, the throw cushion for the chaise, and the piping for all of the striped pieces.
So, in the past few days, I’ve cut all of the floral pieces out, including the bias strips for the striped cushions. I’ve also cut the bias strips from the striped fabric to use for the welting on the floral pieces. (I am going to do a separate post on the bias stripping.)
This floral fabric has very large flowers with a repeat so large it would waste a serious amount of fabric if I tried to match the print. The plan was not to match the print, but I actually was able to match the top and side pieces perfectly. The only piece that won’t match is the underside, which you won’t see anyway! Awesome!
So, if you look at this pic, you will see the 4 dining chair seat tops – all the same:
Fabric for Seats
The next pic shows how I have the pieces of each seat stacked in it’s own little “packet”… even though the pieces are all cut out of the print the same way, they were cut individually, so I have each labeled separately so everything fits perfectly once it’s sewn together:
Seat Cushion Packet
Now that all of the pieces of the floral are cut, I am able to begin stitching the cushions….this is where the fun really starts! The actual sewing! Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, I’ll have a cushion or 2 all finished!
And, last but certainly not least, here’s a pic of today’s “helper”, one Mr. Frankie Ferret – HAHAHAHA!
Frankie “Helping”
Thank you SO much for visiting Learn How to Sew today…I hope you enjoyed your visit and will come back SOON!
Bye for now!
Paula
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Beginning the Seat Cushion Sewing Project
Hi Everyone!
Between last night and today, I’ve labeled and taken apart the old cushion covers for my project. I took care to put more markings on the old covers than I thought I would need, because you just never know what information you may need, even though you may not think so in the beginning of a project.
Here are some of the markings:
Dining Chair Cushion Pieces
I received an email from the customer last night saying she received the fabric, so I went to pick it up today…it’s GORGEOUS!!!
Let me show you some great pics:
New Fabric
Striped Fabric
Printed Fabric
This fabric is so beautiful…I can’t wait to get started cutting and sewing the cushions. The finished product is going to be awesome…oh, and the piping on the pieces is going to be opposite of the fabric for the main body of the piece (as in floral piping on the striped pillows!). This is SO exciting!
Now…while I was out of touch for those few months, I got a new addition to the family…his name is Frankie, and he is an awesome little critter. Here is his debut on the Learn How to Sew website……….Frankie the ferret having a grand old time playing with the packaging that the fabric came wrapped in – LOL!!
Frankie Ferret
That’s all for tonight’s update, folks…I am going to begin cutting the new covers tomorrow, so I’ll return with my progress and more pics over the weekend!
Thanks SO much for visiting Learn How to Sew. I hope you enjoyed your stay and will return SOON!
Bye for now,
Paula
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The Seamstress Returneth…
Hi Everyone!
I just can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted on here! DARN IT! Everyday life has gotten in my way…well, no more of THAT! As of a week or so ago, I am 100% self-employed – working from home and LOVING every minute of it!
I’ve been working on a new online business…non-sewing related for the last few months, and things are finally starting to take off! Woo-hooo!
Now, as for sewing, I have a HUGE new project underway. I was contacted by a previous customer from my dry-cleaning days and she asked if I’d like to take on a job for her. Of course, I said YES! I will be making new covers for outdoor furniture, and again, of course, I’ll be chronicling the job right here starting NOW!
I’ll be making covers for a chaise lounge, a deck box, and dining chairs … in addition I’ll be making an extra 5 throw pillows to go along with the covers. I’ll be using GORGEOUS fabrics in a coordinating print and stripe (which I’ll post pics of in my next post!)
So, to start, I am labeling all of the parts and taking pics before I start ripping the old covers apart to make patterns from. This is the best way to keep track of a project like this. Any questions of how things go together, just look at the pics and you have your answer!
So, here are the labeled cushions before starting:
Chaise Back Cushion
Chaise Seat Cushion
Deck Box Cushion
Dining Chair Cushion
This is the start of the project…I am off to take apart the first cushion…back soon with an update!
Thank you SO much for visiting Learn How to Sew Now! I hope you enjoyed your stay and will return SOON!
Paula
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Vacation Fabric Shopping
Howdy Everyone!
Last week Hubby and I were on vacation. We decided to stay at home for the week so Jimmy could put a new transmission in his car and new brakes on my car. Now, doesn’t that sound like a fun-filled week?! NOT. Anyway, I did get a lot of time to play with my sweet kitties and puppies. I also had time to check out my fabric stash and make some Kanzashi Flowers. Here’s a pic of them along with my sweet litte Petunia:
Petunia and Kanzashi Flowers
Even though I didn’t get to do any fun vacationing, I did get to spend a day in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster county – the quilting hub of the Northeast. I purchased some gorgeous batik fabric that I’m dying to use in a project – here’s the first pic – pattern…check, fabric…check, interfacing…check, pins and scissors…check:
Cutting out the project.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that my assistant “Little Miss Muffet” is all ready to help?
Hopefully, the project will proceed along quickly. I’ll keep the pictures and descriptions coming.
Thanks for stopping by “Learn How to Sew” today! Please come back soon!
Bye for now,
Paula
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Vacation Time/Sewing Time
Hi Everyone!
Hope you are all having a super week! It’s Wednesday evening in these parts…two more days until this seamstress is on VACATION! Nine days of glorious non-work related activities coming up. We don’t have any plans for actual “vacationing”, I think we are just going to wing it and see what happens. We’ve been giving serious consideration to having a stay-at-home and do nothing but what we feel like vacation for a while now, and I think this is going to be it.
That suits me just fine…although I would like to spend a day at the zoo 
I am hoping to get some type of sewing/art/craft project done – not sure what. I am also planning to spend some time working at my online business projects. I have a goal to be totally done working outside my home by the end of this year, and a whole week at home to research products would really be helpful!
I’ve come to the conclusion that I have too many projects I want to do! I get so confused! I must have 5 or 6 projects in various stages of completion…maybe I should just pick one of those and finish it next week – oh, I just don’t KNOW! Yikes! Maybe I’ll make hubby come into the sewing room and pick one for me…
Well, friends, be sure to know that whatever I decide will end up here ASAP. And if anyone of you have any suggestions, I’m all ears – or I guess in the case of the internet, I’m all eyes. Thanks for visiting “Learn How to Sew”-land today.
Talk to you soon!
Paula
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Free “Sewing” Weekend!
Happy Friday, All!
Work at the shop has been a bit slow the last 2 or 3 weeks – NO complaints here! I’m delighted to have a bit of time off. I could really get used to 4 day weeks!
This weekend Hubby is going to his brother’s for the annual “boys weekend”. All 5 brothers get together and do “guy” things for a weekend. Probably is a good thing the “girls” aren’t invited – we’d probably be grossed out big-time.
That leaves me to figure out what to do with myself for these 3 days. How I’d LOVE to make a sewing project part of the mix, but it is going to be over 90 degrees (F) all weekend, and there is no AC in the sewing room 
Maybe I could dream up a mixed media project that I can work on by hand in the nice, cool air-conditioned bedroom. Any ideas?
I would brave the heat for the “purse project” I mentioned in my previous post if I could find some suitable fabric to make it out of. I just can’t seem to find anything I really like…nothing is jumping out and say “pick me, pick me”! I find that a tad crazy, actually…I never have problems finding fabric for anything!?
Maybe I need a cool drink and a nap…inspiration might strike in a dream. Be sure I’ll let you know as soon as I come up with something. Thanks for listening to my ramble and for visiting “Learn How to Sew” today! Seriously, leave me a comment with any suggestions for projects and/or tutorials – I love hearing from my readers!
Talk to you soon!
Paula
P.S. Please be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter, “Seam Lines” to the right of this post or on the FB page! Like us on FB, and follow us on Twitter!
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Going to Learn How to Sew a Purse!
Happy Summer Everyone!
It’s really HOT today here in the Northeast USA – so glad I have AC in my home office! Unfortunately, I don’t have AC in my sewing room so I am blogging instead of sewing. I guess blogging about sewing is almost as good as the real thing…well, maybe not quite.
Anyway, since it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, I thought I’d give you all a little update on life in learn-how-to-sew land. Of course, it was just prom and wedding season, so I was CRAZY busy for the past few months! It’s finally started to slow down enough for me to catch my breath and get back to my blog and to planning some summer sewing projects.
This summer I’ve decided to learn how to sew a purse – not just a tote, but a purse. My cousin gave me a pattern recently that belonged to her daughter and I just HAVE to make a few of these…not only am I excited to make one for myself, but I think they will make awesome gifts for friends and family.
What’s so cool about this pattern is that it is a purse and then it has an overlay that attaches with buttons so you can make different overlays and change them up for a new look! I think it’s great, and it gives me a fabulous reason to go fabric shopping!!!
I love all the fantastic quilting cottons I see online, but I don’t have the patience to quilt, so I don’t buy them. I think you’ll agree that this project is the PERFECT place to use some of those fabrics!! And wouldn’t you know it, hubby is going to an auction tomorrow in the Lancaster, PA area. (This is where the Amish live, and they have literally dozens of fabric shops in every town! A fabric lover’s paradise!) I believe I may have to to tag along
Purse Pattern
Close up of purse pattern
Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, “Seam Lines”, if you haven’t already – just click the link under the flashing buttons on the right of this post! Also, please “like” my FB page, and follow me on Twitter!
Thanks so much for visiting Learn How to Sew today – please come back soon!
Paula
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Learn How to Sew – Tragedy to Truimph
Hi, Readers!
Today’s post is about another great reason to learn how to sew! A little background is in order here…
A customer brought in a prom dress last week to the dry cleaner’s to have shortened. Unfortunately, for all parties involved, I was not there when she came in and another employee measured the gown for length. She did not realize (and neither did the customer, evidently) that the dress was made longer in the back than in the front by about 2 inches…and she measured from the back – OOPSIE!
Unaware of this fact, I hemmed the gown to the marked length, and it turned out to be too short – oh, disaster…what to do?! Girl is hysterical, prom is the next day. Oh, and I’m not there.
Right side ok, left side 2" too short!
So I get to work the next morning and find this little disaster waiting for me along with hysterical mother and daughter (on the phone). I tell them to give me an hour or two to survey the situation and come up with some sort of suggestion for a “fix”.
I had kept (I always do) the pieces of fabric that I cut off of the dress when I hemmed it, so, THANKFULLY, I had something to work with! It was time to get out the magic wand here.
Fabric pieces I had to work with.
I decided to make a 2″ band from the leftover dress fabric (the print) and add a contrasting 1/4″ piping from the lining:
Fabric band "fix"
Then I trimmed the dress evenly around the entire bottom and attached the “fix”:
Finished dress bottom with the band attached
I am delighted to report that the customer was tickled PINK with the outcome – she actually came back to tell me that she thought the dress looked better with the “fix” in place than it did originally! Ah, does the ole heart good to have turned this around!
See, one more reason to learn how to sew…you can fix boo-boos! Really, though, with some time and experience, you can perform all sorts of miracles with clothing and home dec items. There really is no limit to what you can do – and you don’t have to have years of sewing experience. Just a few basic skills is all you need. The above “fix” only required the stitching of 1 straight seam!
Thank you for visiting “Learn How to Sew” today – I hope you enjoyed your visit and will return soon!
Bye for now,
Paula
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More Patterns!
Hi Readers,
My blog post was headed in an entirely different direction today until I stopped at my mailbox on the way home from work and found a package of patterns from Simplicity! My new Sew Simple patterns arrived already – only 5 days from order to mailbox. Great service! Oh, and did I mention that these patterns are only $1.99 each? If you have looked at any patterns lately, you will know that this is a GREAT price!
Well, I just had to put up a quick post with a picture of the patterns – they are awesome! Here they are:
My new sewing patterns...yippee!!!
Now, readers, how about leaving me a comment telling me which one to make first…I’m so confused, I love them all!
And whichever one you pick will be my first with full sew-along tutorial here on the site.
Be sure to jump on over to the Simplicity site and order some for yourself! Just click on the image link below:
Thanks so much for visiting “Learn How to Sew” today – hope you enjoyed your visit and will return again very soon!
Bye for now,
Paula
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