Fall Pinterest Challenge: Envelope Pillows

It's time for another Pinterest Challenge!  This time I am linking up with Sherry, Katie, Carmel, and Sarah.

I've seen so many cute pillows popping up all over blog land and on Pinterest, so I thought I would whip some up for a Christmas gift.  Dad, if you are reading this, close your eyes!

Here is my inspiration:

                                                                          Source: maillardvillemanor.com via Liz on Pinterest

This seriously has to be one of the easiest sewing projects that I have tackled.  You only have to sew four straight lines!

We took a trip to Ikea last week and one of the new fabrics they have reminded me of some coasters I picked up from a local greenhouse in Michigan.

This super cute fall fabric is from Ikea and runs for $6.99 a yard.  One yard will be more than enough fabric to cover two pillows.

Margareta Fabric

First, cut your fabric to size.  My pillow inserts were 16", so I cut my fabric to a 16" x 36" rectangle.  

Then mark your fabric for your hem and fold lines.  Mark 1/2" from each end so that when you fold your fabric over you have a 1/4" hem line.  Also mark your fabric 10" in on your longest sides so you know where to fold before you sew the sides of your pillow.

Next, hem the two short sides.

Then iron your pillow on your fold lines.

Once you finished ironing, sew down each of the sides with 1/2" seam allowance.  Fold your pillow right side out, and stuff with your insert.

The result is a great looking pillow that was super easy and required no buttons or zippers!

This is what the back of the pillow looks like.  There is about a two inch overlap of fabric so that you cannot see any of the pillow insert.

Hopefully my dad will like them, and they will add a nice touch of the outdoors to his office space!

Singing in the Rain

I absolutely love thunderstorms!  I swear we haven't had a thunderstorm out here since the tropical storm came through in August.  Tonight's storm was pretty good, but definitely too short.

We have been pretty busy finishing up the school year and getting ready to head back to Michigan.  We leave in 7 days!  So much stuff to pack!

I've been thinking about some summer goals I have, and decided that if I write them down somewhere, maybe I'll actually accomplish them :)

• Exercise!  I want to start running and riding my bike regularly.  I'm hoping to be able to run at least a 5K before the end of summer, and I would like to ride my bike as much as last year.
• Learn to sew more!  Curtains for our apartment are definitely on the list.
• Read!  I've finished 38 books so far, so I'm hoping to add quite a few more this summer :)
• Go to a Tigers game.
• Road Trip!  We are thinking of going to Texas to check it out.
• Check into online programs to start my Masters degree.
• Open an Etsy shop!  I'm thinking of calling it Beckwith Boutique...

Speaking of my Etsy shop, here are a few of my most recent projects:

 Mini minion hats

 Puppy dog newborn "outfit"

 Owl newborn hat (probably the best hat I have made yet)

Striped "elf" hat

Crafting!

**Edit:  I found the pattern for the black hat with the flower!  It's posted below.**

Just a warning that this post will be picture heavy!

Last month was March Break (that's right, almost a whole month of no school!)  And I was busy reading and crocheting.

Up first is a vintage football helmet Packers style.  It was inspired by this pattern.  I made one in newborn size and one for a 6th month old.  To make the logo I cut it out of some felt and then hand sewed it on to both sides of the hat.

These owl slippers were tricky to make.  They were inspired by these slippers I found via Pinterest, but I didn't want to pay for the pattern, so I made one up by combining a bunch of patterns I found online (this is the pattern I started with, but I modified it quite a bit).  I started writing a tutorial, but then I got lazy about finishing it, so maybe someday I'll feel inspired to make another pair and share with you.

This is a brain wave beanie hat I made for my brother.  You can download the pattern for free here.  It was actually really easy to make.

This hat was so hard to make!  I had to take it out so many times I thought I would never finish.  My biggest problem with it was that you crochet in clusters instead of just single stitches, and counting the clusters was throwing me off.  I can't find the pattern I used, but I'll keep looking and post it as soon as I find it.  I found the pattern!  Here it is!

Here is a close up of the flower.

And finally the cutest hat I have made so far!  It's inspired by the minions from Despicable Me and I think he turned out quite good!

I've also been reading like crazy and finished 13 books last month!  I'm always looking for recommendations of good books, so let me know if you have any.

I also decided to give sewing a try while we were back in Michigan for March break.

My first project was a pair of pajama pants.  I probably should have started with something simpler, the fabric I used (Jersey Knit) was tricky to sew because the edges kept rolling up.  Thanks to my mom for helping me figure out how to make them!

                                       

Then I made two pillow cases.  This project was from a "Learn to Sew" kit, so all I had to do was cut out the two pieces of fabric and sew them together.  Much easier than making pants once I figured out how to thread the machine properly!