Saturday, April 25, 2015

Pillows and decorating

I've been putting a bit of effort into our master bedroom lately, taking care of some things that have been on the to-do list for way too long. Clearing all the clutter out? Check. Hanging pictures? Check. (This is ordinarily an easy task, but made more procrastination-worthy when one's walls are made of concrete or some other similarly impenetrable material.) Replacing the inadequate and ugly tab curtains that were hung on our French door when we moved in? Check.

I'm still keeping a lookout through various channels for some needed items (most notably, two nightstands and a rug). After looking online for curtain rods and not finding what I need at cheaper stores and choking over the prices at nicer stores, I have decided to forgo curtains for now. We have very nice, new cellular blinds, so the curtains would really just be for effect (which is perhaps not needed in a Craftsman home, where windows are often bare). I can add fabric accents in other ways: throw blankets, bedskirt, and -- throw pillows!

floral throw pillows

I found this fabric at Fabric.com and immediately loved it! It's hard to convey colors accurately through a monitor, but the pinks are just the nicest muted vintage rose colors, my favorite. One thing I have learned through looking at decorating magazines is that I always LOVE pink floral. Not a bombardment of it, mind you, but a touch here and there is just the thing to make my heart go pitter-pat. I ran it by Douglas and his masculinity was not threatened by the idea of having pink floral throw pillows in our bedroom, so I placed my order.

The feather pillow forms I used are 20" square, so I cut my squares of fabric to be exactly 20", too. With a bit of extra fabric taken up in the seam allowances, this works quite well for filling out all the corners of the pillow covers. I am so glad I took the time to make self-fabric piping, too -- I think they look much nicer that way. This tutorial at Craftsy is very good, if you have never done that before.

floral throw pillows

On the topic of decorating, I have never shared my favorite decorating magazine with you -- The English Home. It's my only magazine subscription and I do enjoy it! When I can keep a good attitude, that is, as everything featured is way out of my price range. BUT -- I recently read some great older posts from Like Mother, Like Daughter that helped me feel a great deal more peace about my home. Check out Frugal for Beginners, particularly #3 and #5 -- YES, YES, YES!!! Also loved Decorating Books and Beauty and Pinterest -- so many of the same thoughts that have been swirling around in my head, when I'm doing dishes or whatever, but expressed in a much more coherent and entertaining way. :) Thanks, Margo, for introducing me to this great blog through your sidebar! (I feel like I'm the last to the party, but better late than never!)

theenglishhome

11 comments:

  1. how fun!!! I am making some green and white squares for a pillow right now! :)

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  2. We all must be thinking the same thing these days: Pillows! I have a pillowcase half-way finished in the sewing room currently to go on our sofa. I'm so glad for the tip of cutting the pillowcase the same size as the pillow. I think that will help take up some extra slack that is going on right now, making it look too big. Now, to go cut it down a bit...

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    1. Yes, I had a hard time finding any info on what size to cut the squares! I think I could have even taken them in a bit more, but they're fine as is. My seam allowance with the piping was only about 3/8", so a deeper seam allowance would make a difference, too. Hope your pillow turned out just like you wanted! :)

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  3. Your blog is always inspiring! :)

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  4. Yes - Leila's post about the right decorating book really struck me also. And right afte reading that I found one I LOVE which is helping me to focus more on what I like. I love the pillow fabric - they look perfect.

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    1. That's great, Lisa. Looking at "The English Home" has really helped me hone my tastes. It certainly helps to have a focus. I will check out the website you mentioned, too -- it sounds like fun!

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  5. Another you *may* like, Laura - assortmentblog.com. They live in a 665 square foot home - that's five people.

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  6. These are beautiful, Laura! I love your windows, they remind me of the home I grew up in. Your bedroom looks so peaceful. Very, very nice!

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    1. Thank you, Donna! I grew up in an older home too (1904), and I do like the style. It's a real blessing to have all the sunlight in our bedroom, after our last apartment bedroom only had one north-facing window! I'm thankful!

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