Fun fact: I am a big fan of graffiti art. I don't know if many people know that about me. Something about it appeals to me even though it is so vastly different from EVERYTHING ELSE I like. I spent a couple of years painting murals and I am amazed by the speed and skill of some of the graffiti greats. This balloon girl design is my knock off of a piece by the graffiti artist Banksy. I LOVE it.
You will need:
2 yards of fabric {this will make 2 20"x20" pillows -- I bought one yard of white-on-white polka dot fabric for my pillow fronts and 1 yard of contrasting fabric for my pillow backs.}
freezer paper
X-acto knife
an iron
black fabric paint
needle and thread
assorted buttons from 1/2" to 1½" in diameter
Download the patterns for my little girl silhouettes here. Use the freezer paper stencil technique {like I used on the Sharpie Tie Dye shirts earlier in the week } with black fabric paint to transfer the silhouette images to your fabric. Allow the paint to dry then carefully remove the stencils.
Lay out your buttons to form the bunch of balloons and bubbles on each pillow. I arranged them just how I wanted then used a pencil to mark the button holes onto the fabric. Once the placement is marked, carefully slide the buttons onto a sheet of paper, preserving the arrangement. Sew each button in place by hand.
Take the fabric you bought for the back of your pillow and cut out two 20"x16" pieces for each pillow {four total}. This will form the envelope closure in the back of the pillow cover. I like my envelope backs to overlap quite a bit because nothing looks worse than a pillow gaping open at the back. Sew a quick rolled hem down one of the 20" long sides of each piece of fabric.
For each pillow: Lay the front piece of your pillow cover flat with the right side up. Lay two back pieces on top of it, right side down, overlapping the hemmed edges in the center. Line up all the raw edges all the way around and pin in place.
Sew around the perimeter of the pillow. When you get to a corner, just lift up the presser foot on your machine and turn the fabric. I like to go back and re-sew the the top and bottom edges {the ones with the fabric overlapped} to make those seams extra sturdy. Don't ask me how many times I have ripped a seam trying to wrestle a big, puffy pillow into its cover....
Trim the corners and turn your pillow cover right side out, making sure to poke the corners out with your fingers. That's it, guys!! Finished!!
I like the bold, graphic statement they make and the mixture of patterns. The subtle nod to my love of graffiti is extra fun. Things like that are what a house a home. How do you guys incorporate the things that you love into your décor?