8.17.2008

Mistreating Pillows

So over at the Nesting Place, the Nester is hosting a "Mistreatment Party." A mistreatment, as most of you know, refers to creating window treatments by using, shall we say, less-than-perfect methods.  I love this concept, even though I have no window treatments in my house (I opted for plantation shutters because all the decisions involving window treatments utterly terrified me).  Sewing?  Not so much.  Glue gunning?  Oh yeah!

In my house, already at my fingertips, I had some old pillow forms, a twin bed skirt that I bought on clearance from a Ballard Designs outlet, and no sewing skills.  What does that equal?  Pillow mistreatments!  I hope I can still qualify for the Nester's party...


I started with "Heat-N-Bond" iron-on adhesive, folded over each edge and ironed them to create straight seams.  As you can see from the photo above, the edges aren't all that straight.  I made two squares, a front and a back, for each pillow.  I use the term "squares" loosely here. More like squares with lots of squiggly lines. 

Then I found black plastic grommets that are supposed to just snap together.  I cut small holes in the corners of my fabric, but with all the folding and gluing going on, the fabric was way too thick for the grommets to snap through.  So I whipped out my glue gun, used it to attach the grommets to the fabric on both sides, and no one will ever know the difference...unless they look at the photo above, which clearly shows you the truth of the matter (and some really poor cutting).

Lastly, I used "Heat-N-Bond" and my iron again to attach the two sides of the pillowcase to each other, with the pillow form in the middle.  I threaded grosgrain ribbons through the grommets to hold the corners together, which is fun because I can change them out whenever I feel like it.  My summer color is lime green, but I think it's time for red because I'm in a fall mood! 

These pillows are far from perfect, but they help me pull the colors together in my dining room, as well as soften it up a bit (literally!).  And paired with my grandmother's chairs?  I love them!  Not sure if the Nester will think they qualify as mistreatments, but I should at least get points for how far I will go to avoid a sewing machine!






45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those pillows are really adorable! Good job and very creative :-) I have some decorative pillows I need to restuff - you've just inspired me.

Rae said...

So adorable! I love how you recycled the bed skirt into such fabulous pillows. Awesome job!!

Jodee said...

I think they turned out great! I love the fabric too!

Bonita said...

Those pillows are just as cute as can be! Great job!

Jo said...

I just stumbled upon your blog ~ love the pillows, very creative!

Davene said...

Good for you! I, too, am sewing-machine challenged...but you have overcome that beautifully! :)

Regina said...

Hi QB! I'm a fellow Queenie myself, so I just had to stop by and say "HI!!!!". I love your pillows! Sooooo cute! I'll stop back by later this afternoon when I have a little more time to read the rest of your blog. Have a great Monday!!

Kimba said...

Holy brilliant, Batman! I am soooooo going to give this a try!

Screaming Meme said...

Great job my little Bumble Bee...That will be my nick name for you! :) I love ti! I mean it...:) Screaming Meme

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Oh, they qualify...we'll make sure they qualify. Great JOB!!

The Nester said...

these are terribly cute!

thanks for sharing them!

Melissa said...

Heat-n-bond? I love it! I love, love your fabric too!

Anonymous said...

very cute!

Mary said...

Great job! They look wonderful.

Christy said...

I would say you get big points for not using a sewing machine!

Thanks for sharing such an easy and creative project:)

Amanda said...

very cute idea! Im going to hunt for some pillows to mistreat! Thanks for sharing!

Kristen said...

I think those count! That is pretty crafty of you!! Cute!

Jo said...

Your pillows are lovely! I love the ribbons in the corners.

Darlene said...

Those are some adorable mistreated pillows!! No one will ever know!! CUTE!!

frillsfluffandtrucks said...

I love Heat n Bond and have used it for many many projects. Such a great invention!

~ Sarah

Meghan said...

Sweet.
Love that fabric & the pink & green.
You should so sell these creations!

Nichole said...

So cute!

Precision Quality Laser said...

Love the fabric! Those are soo cute!

Wifeof1Momof4 said...

These are sooo cute! I might just give some old pillows a new look.

Thanks for sharing.

Gretchen said...

You rock!

I love the pillows and especially with the contrasting ribbon!

His Doorkeeper said...

Love, Love,love your pillows!
The fabric is so cute and I think you did a great job!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Those are adorable! I haven't used heat N Bond, but love fabric glue. Great job!

Rhoda

Jboo said...

They look fabulous!!

Janet

Sandy said...

Your pillows turned out beautiful!

I think you have a little more "craft" in you, than I do. LOL!

Sandy

Anonymous said...

Those are too cute!

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

Love the fabric! Very creative!
To answer your question...I'm a Social Skills Coach for children(6th-8th grade)with Aspergers/Autism.

the tattered nest said...

way to be creative! they look great! the nester would be so proud of you...

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

This is so cute, I may come back and try this myself! My fav part is changing the ribbons according to mood or season! Way to go!

Hannah E. said...

Brilliant! Love this idea.

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

They look fabulous!!

Lisa

Simply Me... said...

Thanks for your visit over at simply me! I love your blog I will be adding you later today after work :( This blogging thing if so much fun, don't you think ? Have a great day!
LaNnY :o)

Stephanie said...

I have been trying to figure out how to make my own pillows without sewing! Thank you!! Heat and bond and I are good friends already, so I think I'm going to give this a try!

Twice as Nice said...

Love the pillow idea! You have a great blog with alot of talent.

Kristy said...

Looks like we have the same taste !! I love the pillows and the black and white picture wall. Your stuff is amazing !!

Jill said...

The pillows are too cute! Loved how they turned out!

Sean said...

I love the pillows, and the fabric is to die for! Great job with the mistreating, and I believe I've been inspired to start yet another project :)

Madison Envy said...

I just love those pillows! And your blog is so fun, I am adding it to my bloglines!

Angela said...

What a great idea this is! I would have never thought about using the fusable web. Oh my, I can already see that I'm gonna have new pillows all over the house now!

"Intentionally Katie" said...

TOO cute!!!

Jill -Forever and Ever House said...

Genius!