Making Artful Pillows: Step Two

Here is a supply list for making your artful pillows.

-Scissors, if you can get sharp fabric scissors. This helps you have a clean and hopefully straight (although they rarely are in my case! lol) line.

-Sewing machine. All that you need to sew are straight lines so this can be done by hand if necessary. It will take you longer but if you don't have a machine you can still make pillows relatively easily.

-Thread, you want thread that will match your fabric. If you want the seams to show then you may want to pick a contrasting colour rather than one that will blend.

-Pencil or pen. You will need these for drawing your lines on your fabric before cutting. If you are using a dark fabric then you may want to get a tailor pencil in white or blue that will show up on a darker colour.

-Iron & ironing board. You want your fabric to be nicely pressed so that you can make exact cuts and seams.

-Fabric and pillow forms. As I mentioned last time square forms are what I use and are the easiest to make. 16" square is what my measurements will be based on.

-Straight pins and needles. Straight pins will keep your fabric in place while sewing. You only need separate needles if you are sewing by hand.

-ruler/measuring device.

When you have assembled your tools you can pre-wash your fabric if you think you will be washing the pillow covers in the future. After drying you can iron out your fabric and make your cuts.

Each pillow needs three pieces of fabric cut to the following sizes:
Piece one: 17" x 17" (front)
Piece two: 17" x 14" (back flap A)
Piece three: 17" x 12" (back flap B)

Happy cutting. I'll be back in a few weeks with the next step.

P.S. If you want to make any embellishments, embroidery or iron on transfers etc. on the pillows you should do that after making your cuts to the 17" square piece. It is much easier to do it now rather than after you have assembled the pillow cover.