flower power

I pinned this pillow recently. I liked the cluster of flowers against the linen background. 

It seemed so springy and happy and pretty and I wanted to make it. 

But I didn't have any linen and since we're hoping to move soon, spending money on linen isn't in the budget. 

Bummer. 

And then I remembered the disaster pillow from six months ago

(click here for a reminder)

So I went digging for it (it was with linens that aren't being used... we don't have a linen closet so I keep them in a bag under the bed... whatever works, right?) and pulled it out. 

Not the biggest fan of the fabric all by itself because I prefer more of a pattern but I wasn't being too picky. 

So I pulled it out and started sewing flowers on. 

The flowers were really easy to make. They'd be a fun thing to do during a movie (which is what I did) because they're simple and keep your hands busy. That's when I do most projects... otherwise I'd sit in front of a movie and eat or read a magazine article or paint my nails. I don't like to watch a movie and do nothing at all.

 For most of them I cut three concentric circles and held the edges near a candle flame to burn them and made them curl (too close and yes, they catch on fire). Then I just sewed them onto the pillow. 

The other flowers (the ones that look more like roses) are a bit more difficult to get the hang of, but they're quicker to make (no burning or cutting!). I did find a tutorial online, just by googling, but the process is similar to this, just with ribbon or a thin strip of fabric instead of paper.

So, yeah. That's all. Just wanted to share how I turned my own crummy project into something a little more beautiful :)