the made just for you touch

My lovely friend C got married a few weeks ago (big congrats to you two!) I found a gift off of their registry, but I really wanted to add a little extra something for a personal touch.  So I decided to make the couple a throw pillow...nothing too big, nothing terribly time consuming and something either can make use of. 

It started when I viewed an idea for using doilies, fabric paint and a canvas tote as seen on the blog Under the Sycamore: http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2009/11/21/diy-doily-canvas-bag/



super cute, right?

Ashley Ann's tutorial is wonderful so please feel free to review the how-to from the link above!

Instead of using the tote, I purchased white canvas-like fabric (sidenote: I made the mistake of purchasing fabric that was too thin and see-through the first time around....so I had to do the project twice--practice makes perfect, right?) to create an envelope pillow case.  TheCraftyGemini has an excellent tutorial on how to make an envelope pillow case, you can find the link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhZnHhbcN-Q

1. Stenciled the front of the pillow case using different sized doilies and different colors of fabric paint.  I did not use spray adhesive, however I would recommend it.

2. Let the front piece of fabric dry while you complete the "envelope" portion of the pillow case, or backside.  Iron and sew the raw edges of the envelope of the pillow case.

3. Once the fabric is dry sew the front and back pieces of fabric together per the YouTube tutorial.

4. Find a font that you like for an initial or message on the back of the pillow case. Print out the initial and/or message, date, etc.

5.  The fabric is semi see through so just place the printed piece of paper underneath the fabric - pin in place using push pins and paint away!  Please note: Complete this portion AFTER you've sewn the two pieces of fabric together to ensure everything is centered and the way you want it to look!

There you have it, a handmade gift that your loved ones can't find in a store!

Enjoy!