Love Pillow

This is a timely post with Valentine's Day right around the corner. I made a pillow last night and put the word "love" on it. I'm sure a ton of people have done this before, it is nothing new. But this pillow isn't for me, it is for a room I am decorating. And the pillow came about because of my DIY fails so I thought I would share the story.

You see, I have a sewing machine but still prefer to make pillows the no-sew method because I don't know how to use the sewing maching. The plan was to make one of the cool-kid burlap pillows. (Why is burlap popular for pillows? It is itchy. But it is the cool-kid-thing to do.) I had three sides done and decided to paint a "M" on the burlap to personalize it.

After the "M" dried, it was stuffing time. This is where burlap and no-sew create a fail. Every time I stuck more stuffing in the pillow, the seam would rip open a bit. Uh-oh! The easy thing to do would be to open my still-in-the-box sewing machine and sew a seam for the pillow. I don't take the easy way, I take the hard headed way. And that pillow made me mad so I ripped it apart Hulk Hogan style...and it felt good.

I still need throw pillows for the room, and I am working on a budget so buying new is out. And burlap is out. (I don't care if it is cool or not.) But I am bringing muslin back. Was muslin ever in? Who cares. It is replacing the burlap pillow and will still offer some visual texture without all the scratchiness. Round two of no-sew pillow making went much better than round one. It was actually a breeze. And when the little muslin pillow was ready for stuffing, it looked a little sparce. Then I remembered I had picked up a rub-on transfer sticker on sale for $1. I have never used one of these little stickers but it was so easy.

This little love pillow is done just in time. And the burlap with the "M" painted on it is going to be framed and hung in the room. I couldn't throw it away, that is too wasteful.

Do you have any DIY fails to share? Or pillow making headaches? Have you ever used a rub-on transfer sticker?