{How to Make} Ruffle Pillow Cases

I really need to get into this crafting and blogging routine a little more. Now that I have a new job, and things are getting back to normal, I'm starting to have time again to make fun things! The latest project? To cover some plain black pillows we had bought for our couch. I've seen ruffled pillows on pinterest, but wanted to change it up a little by making the cover removable.

Yup. That's right: removable. For those of us who lead somewhat messy lives. I made these pillow cases in the spirit of a sham, with the opening on the back as opposed to one of the sides. This technique is nice, because you don't have to worry about zippers or buttons either.

Let me begin.

First you'll want to measure your pillow. Mine is an 18" basic black pillow from target. I measured it, and sure enough, it is true to size, being exactly 18", with my tape measured draped over the fluffiest part of the middle, in both directions.

Based on that measurement, I cut a piece of fabric to 44x19. The 44" happened to be the width of the fabric, and I like minimal cuts. I had originally planned out that for the 18" pillow, I needed double that to wrap around, and about 7-8" of overlap (including seam allowance) for the back opening. 18+18+7=44". 

The 19" width of the fabric allows one inch of seam allowance total for the top and bottom of the pillow.

With the front face of the fabric up, I folded the ends into the middle, like folding a letter to fit into an envelope. I played with the folding until the new folded length reached the 18" I needed for the pillow.

I made sure to check both the top and bottom, because sometimes the folds can end up not totally square. Measuring both sides ensures that everything is lined up right. To keep these folds, I ironed them down to make them nice and crisp.

I then folded over the ends of the overlapping sides to make a clean seam. I also ironed these down to make them easier to sew later. 

This is what it looks like when everything is ironed down. You can see that overlapping piece with the seam ready to sew. The flap underneath it has the same look. 

This clearly shows all three layers made by the folding. Make sure that you had turned the seam to the outside, as shown above for the flap ends. The face of the fabric (if you have one) should be facing in at this point. 

Unfold the fabric, and sew the short ends that you had ironed, as shown both above and below.

Place this piece aside.

Cut another piece. This piece will become the ruffle. The length will be at least double the length of the pillow. I kept the 44" from before, for ease of cutting. The width will be the width you want your ruffle to be, plus seam allowance. I wanted a wide, center ruffle, so I made the width 9" to allow for seams. 

Iron and finish the long sides. Mine is now about 8" wide after finishing. 

Another view of the finished long sides of the ruffle piece.

I then folded the piece in half, long way. To use primary school terms, folding in the 'hot-dog' direction. Yup, I just went there. I ironed that fold, to give me a clean line to follow. Then, using a long, straight stitch, I followed that line down the middle of the length. Make sure you don't back-stitch on this step. This is important so we can create the ruffle. 

Keep some length when trimming the ends of the thread. Take one of the threads, and shimmy the fabric down it to create the ruffle look.

You will end up with a piece that looks like this. Get out that other piece of fabric, and place the ruffle in the center of the middle section, as shown below. 

Make sure the ruffle hangs over, or at least matches the width of the fabric. Sew the ruffle in place, following the original seam of the ruffle.

Re-fold the side pieces of the fabric, to cover the ruffle. We're almost done! All you have to do is sew the top and bottom, to close everything up!

Trim any of the ruffle that is sticking out beyond the main pillow. Using the opening created by the overlapping layers, turn the case right-side-out. Stuff your pillow in there and....

Enjoy your new pillow case! :) 

Engagement Pictures {Katy Weaver Photography}

Hey all!

I don't have a tutorial or anything of my own to show, but this is still a treat! {at least I think so!}
Jeremy and I had the second half of our engagement pictures done a couple weeks ago, and we got them back before the amazing Katy Weaver left for South America! If you don't know this talented photographer, you should. Check out her site here. You will not be disappointed.

I wanted to share with you just a handful of my personal favorites from the shoot. We decided to head to the Oregon Coast since that's where I grew up. We literally waited until the last minute to see if we should go because it was supposed to rain that day, but luckily the weather was beautiful, albeit a little chilly. On our way to the ocean, Katy asked if we could stop at a lovely field we saw. We snuck in through an old, open gate, and took a few before we could get caught! Totally worth it, I think they are my favorite from the entire shoot. Moss on the trees, and perfect, perfect sunlight.

Enjoy!

Tom's Shoe Makeover

I love Tom's shoes, and I mean LOVE. I even got my fiance hooked on them! If you don't know about Tom's, they are a company that for every pair of shoes you buy, they give a pair to a needy child, both in the US and internationally. They have also started selling sunglasses, and every pair of those gives a child a pair of prescription glasses or needed vision surgery. What's not to love about this company? And the shoes? Adorable!

The first pair I bought were a pair of their navy classics. I wore them so much in the past 2 years that they were getting little holes in the toes:

*Sigh*

So I looked up ways to give them another chance at life, and found this wonderful little how-to. Since this link does such a good job of how to do it, I will get to the good stuff. Here are the materials I used for the project:

I found both of these at my local Michael's craft store. 

I also had some fabric I won via Itchin' Stitchin:

And following the directions, I came up with this!

 I deviated from the directions at the end, adding a thin ribbon to the base where the fabric meets the rubber sole. It helped to polish off the edges (since my cutting wasn't exactly the prettiest...oops!) I used the glue to attach the ribbon. The next day, the shoes were public-worthy again! Plus they are a fun punch of color!

It's almost like I have a brand new pair of shoes! And I must say, every time I look down at my toes, the orange bubbles kind of make me smile :)

{Winter} Toe Love

Today is the third day of spring. And it looked like this:

Spring my butt. 

But I do love the colors of spring, once it does decide to show around here. Kind of like the pink of the blossoms above, that are trying so hard to peek through the winter weather.

So I decided to add a little color to myself. Just a little... on my toes!  

Yeah I know, I haven't cleaned it off my skin, but I couldn't help but be proud that my idea worked! Let me explain....

I first painted my piggies with a fun orange color. Nothing reminds me of sunny days more than this color.

Then I dug through my scrapbooking supplies to find some rub-ons. 

When the polish was dry, I simply followed the directions to rub the little stickers onto my toes, and it worked perfectly! I then swiped a clear top-coat and was done!

I love the combo of bright colors! Now I just need to wait for a break in the weather {rain, snow, wind} to wear some sandals. Hmmm

I also gave my fingers some much needed love:

Now it's time to grab a snack and watch the season finale of Project Runway: All-Stars! 

Entry Love

Good Sunday afternoon! 

I haven't done much here in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been crafting!

Today was a lazy day, but I still wanted to get something done. I've been way inspired by pinterest as of late (okay all the time), and wanted to do something I have found on it. 

This is what I came up with....

I was inspired by these pretties: 

The top one was used for my technique, and the bottom was the actual idea for my mini-project:

http://pinterest.com/pin/50947039504219097/

http://pinterest.com/pin/50947039504190351/
                                                       

For my version, I grabbed an old frame I wasn't using. Once upon a time it was a really unfortunate brownish-orange "wood" color. So I had already painted it black. Since it was stuffed in a closet, I decided to go one step farther, with the tutorial of the former picture above. And for anyone using that lettering technique, be warned: it is pretty dang hard to paint letters this small. This type is about 1" tall, so I had to have a micro-brush and a lot of patience. It is a little imperfect, but I think I like that :)
Now I just need a new dry-erase pen! Mine kind of sucks. Just saying.

This is our newest addition to our entryway shelf. I had added the eye hooks with S hooks for a little jacket storage in our apartment. Plus it was a blank wall at the time. Blank walls + interior design degree = a crafty Trena.

On the wall adjacent, I added a few ikea mirrors, and this plaque I made about 2 years ago now. I thought I'd show it some love as well!

The plaque is just some of that board you can get at craft stores, a little paint, and some pour-on, high-gloss finish. Just a little color splash seen as you enter the door!

Anyone else inspired? Share your entry projects! The entry is a great place for a little craft or two, because it becomes a lovely first impression when people come and visit. Who doesn't want that?