fabric Archives - Farmhouse Chic Blog

{ Comfy Car Pillow Tutorial }

September 9, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: car pillow, comfort, comfortable in the car, fabric, Jo Ann Fabrics, kids, sewing, Star Wars Leave a Comment

We bought our van last Winter so we would all be more comfortable and have more space…

Well, my little guy often complains about not being comfortable in the car, so I asked him how I could fix that! He told me he needed a pillow. So, we headed to Jo Ann’s where I let him pick out his own fabric, and of course he chose Star Wars 😉

Follow along with me as I create a pillowcase in a few simple steps!

I bought one yard of fabric for this project, and it was already just about the perfect width to fit my pillow. All I had to do was pin and sew the sides a tad. But, before sewing one of the sides, I pinned a piece of black elastic that I would sew right along with. This would attach to the back of the seat of the car easily. Be sure to have your fabric inside out, so you create seamless lines! Sew both sides and the bottom, making sure to keep one end completely open. On the open end, fold back the fabric about two inches and sew. This creates the traditional pillow case design.

He is now one happy camper, mission accomplished!

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Picture Makeover

November 13, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: diy, diy project, easy project, fabric, home decor, picture makeover, up-cycle 40 Comments

Is it just me, or when you move do you want all new decor for your house?! I have some one-of-a-kind pieces I could never replace, but some things I just want to toss.. Instead of tossing them out, give them a makeover! I had three pictures in particular that I had in mind for this project… I purchased these about 5 years ago when I got my first place and I just wasn’t into them anymore. Last week, I showed you a no-sew French-inspired pillow I made, and I used the same fabric for these!

For my large canvas picture, I spray painted it with an almond color paint, and let dry. Then I taped four horizontal lines completely across the canvas, and spray painted the canvas white. Once dry, remove the painters tape. I decided to add a canvas I made here a few posts back, for a special pop! Simply grab your glue gun, heat and add glue dots in numerous place and press into place. This picture looks SO different now!

For the two smaller pictures, I wanted to wrap them with the pretty fabric I had, so just lay your fabric out, grab you picture and cut to size leaving an additional 2 inches on each side. Make sure your fabric isn’t bubbly or wrinkly, pull taut. Attach to the picture backing by gluing with hot glue to the top and bottom. For your sides, fold the insides in as if you’re wrapping a present and glue into place. And that’s it! You can give any old picture a whole new look with any of your favorite fabrics and a little bit of glue 😉

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DIY No Sew Pillow Cases

September 29, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: diy project, fabric, linen, no sew pillow cases, pillow cases, wheat wreath design 55 Comments

The other day I posted my inspiration for my Fall mantle. I really loved the wheat wreath pillows that I found, but they were Ethan Allen and $134 each, no thank you! So I was on the search for something similar! I went to Hobby Lobby, Marshalls and TJ Maxx….Nothing!! I ended up at Jo Ann Fabrics and picked out two fabrics I liked.. I was going to attempt my first pillow cases… These were going to be no sew, of course!

I was feeling brave.. I was going to attempt the wheat wreath design that I loved so much! You’re going to want to start by measuring your fabric and pinning it to the pillow. I determined the middle of my pillow and taped my letter “R” stencil onto the fabric, and removed the pillow. I did this because I didn’t want the marker I was going to use to bleed onto the pillow. Yes, that’s right, I said marker… I pinned a couple things on Pinterest recently about using permanent marker on fabrics, so I decided to give it a try. Worked like a charm! I placed a notebook under my fabric and began to trace and fill in my stencil. Remove your stencil when finished. Next, I was on the search for a good sized item I could trace in the shape of a circle. I opted for a large plate, and traced it in pencil. I added “leaves”, mine look more like arrows, to the circle in pencil as well. Once completed, I carefully went over the entire design with the marker. Grab your pillow and situate your fabric evenly. I used a no-sew, no-heat fabric glue for this project. I folded the extra fabric on the back of the pillow sort-of like a present and glued each into place. Let dry.

For my second pillow, this was just a rectangular throw pillow I hadn’t used for awhile, so I decided to give it a makeover! I chose a beautiful, chic quatrefoil design in turquoise and cream. Again, I measured the fabric to the pillow, cut and glue. I took an additional piece of extra fabric and tied it into the center, vertically, to create a “cinching” look. With another piece of extra fabric, I made a bow. All done!

So, I made two pillow cases, so far, and I have plenty left over to make at least one more of each.. My total fabric cost was under $8. That was for 2 yards of linen and 1 yard of the quatrefoil design.

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DIY Birthday Onesie!

April 26, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: arts and crafts, birthday onesie, birthday outfit, diy, diy onesie, fabric, first birthday, Isabella, Jo Ann Fabrics, no sew glue, personalized, Target 97 Comments

I love the thoughts of getting Isabella a super cute outfit for her birthday, but I don’t like the thoughts of paying a pretty-penny for an outfit she will only wear once. So, here is my solution, make your own!

First, I went to Target and bought a four pack of short sleeve white onesies. Then, I went to Jo Ann Fabrics and chose a fabric. Let me tell you, you will probably get a little overwhelmed because there are so many beautiful fabrics to chose from! The easiest way to eliminate choices is to keep the party theme in mind. In my case, Isabella’s first birthday party is a Vintage- chic theme featuring brown, pink and silver. After narrowing it down, I had made my choice! You will only need a very little amount for this project, but I went ahead and bought a half of a yard. ( I will use it {somehow} at her party!)

If you’re not much a sew-er, like me, be sure to grab some “No- sew, no heat glue”. Works like a charm! Also, make sure you have a good pair of shearing scissors.

Once I got home, I played around on Word with different fonts until I found a number “1” I liked, and made it big enough to accommodate the onesie. Print it out, and then cut it out.

OK, so here is where experience, or lack there of, come handy! I’ve done very little (if any) projects like this, so it didn’t dawn on me until after it was too late… Once you cut out your number, turn you fabric over, back side facing you and trace your number. Here is where I messed up… **Tip** you need to also turn your number backwards in order for it to come out correctly once you’ve cut it out. The first time I traced my number, cut it out, flipped it around (fabric/design side facing me) and the number was backwards, darn! No biggy, I got plenty of fabric, and I was able to perfect my number a little more.

THE backwards mess-up!

Grab your onesie, number and no-sew glue. Before gluing, place and eye the number about where you want it to lay. Then flip the fabric over glue along the sides and middle and gently push onto the onesie. Wipe away any excess glue that leaks out. Let dry for at least an hour. And you’re done!! This can be a super simple way to do sooo many different, personalized things for your kids!

Here’s how mine turned out 🙂

** Update: This item should be handwashed only!! Even though the no sew glue states it’s washable, I didn’t find that to be successful!