My First Pillow Cover! (And the lessons I learned)

I love getting mail, and swaps are the best mail to get! I joined a swap on a quilting group for mug rugs and pillow covers.  I prefer my pillows naked, so I asked for a mug rug, but my swap match up asked for a pillow cover.  It seem that to get mail, you have to send something in return, and I always worry that my stuff isn't as good as what everyone else is making.  In an attempt to make something "AWESOME", I went overboard and tried to make a 61"x61" quilt pattern downsized to an 18" pillow.  Given enough time and quilting experience, I'm sure it could be done, but I like to wait for the last minute panic to set in, so I gave up on that idea after I had already cut 80+ tiny triangles and sewn a third of them together.  It would be an awesome pillow, but I think I'll try it as a quilt first.  When I have some free time. ;)

(Here is the pillow top on the recipient's quilt, much better than anything I managed to take!)

More Fun with the Embroidery Machine - Bows Galore and More!

Sometimes when I do a craft, after the first run I'm finished.  It was a new skill I learned, and it was fun to do (usually), but not something I see myself doing regularly, if ever again.  Not so with these bows.  I can't get enough of them, and they are so fun to make!  I also started using sheets of glitter vinyl (found mine at Hobby Lobby, next to the felt) and that opens up a whole new world of materials!  And then I found out that I could do them in fabric (Duh!) which means I may soon have bows of every fabric I own...at least the ones with cute little patterns. 

(Inspired by an ice queen - Pre gluing, excuse the pin)