I usually work backwards, or at least in a powerfully non-linear way. I have had two pillow inserts for YEARS now, waiting to be embellished with pretty decorations. I don’t necessarily need more pillows around the place, but it bugs me that these things have just been sitting there, adding to my to-do list. So off I went looking for fabric only to find nothing suitable for the very specific idea I had in my head – something red, maybe with florals, without being too girly or frilly. Solution: make my own design using felt. Brilliant! I love this product because it is inexpensive and needs no extra sewing to keep the edges from fraying.

Now, let me preface this sewing adventure with my sewing expertise: I have none. My basic knowledge comes from one home ec class I took when I was ten and from some casual glances over my mother’s shoulder, who happened to be a fantastic seamstress. Despite my lack of sewing skills I have somehow managed to do dozens of small sewing projects around the house, mainly curtains. 

These are very basic and probably WAY different than what you would get from a pro, but they do the job of providing privacy and are in the colors I have chosen, instead of being limited to off-the-shelf varieties.

Oh, I also have the world’s most simple sewing machine, and OLD. This thing only does a basic stitch. No zigzags, no zipper foot, no other fancy thing that modern machines are now capable of. This is fine, except I decided to add cording to give these pillows a more polished finish. So began the search for the proper attachment to add to my machine. Not easy to find and you can only order it online it seems. Nix that idea – I ended up just doing it by hand. Took a lot longer than expected but faster than waiting for the part. Anyway, once I decide to do something, I just put my head down and go. Well, the pillows are finally done and accent my living room chair.  

So, even though I arrived at a project in a backwards way (being that I started with wanting to do something with pillow inserts that I somehow inherited) I ended up with something satisfying. The real added benefit to doing this project is my realization to the power of accessorizing. It has changed the whole look and feel of the room and if I ever get sick of the pattern, I can always change them. So why did I procrastinate for so long? To-do list: check √

Now to tackle another accessorizing project: candles.

If you don’t want to bother making your own, check out these cute felt pillows for purchase.