Before & After, Holiday & Seasonal Projects, Sew / No-Sew Projects

From fabric scraps to fall decor

I’m a total hypocrite!!

I rolled my eyes when I read that Martha Stewart suggested changing out throw pillows and other home decor accessories with the seasons. Who can afford to do that, not to mention have the room for storing all that crap?  (Aside from Martha.)

But now I’m heading straight to my non-seasonal mirror to roll my eyes at myself, since I accidentally made a few fall pillows for my sofa.  I could afford to, because I only used fabrics I already had.  See, the other day the pillow shams from my old bedroom set caught my eye.  Sitting in my closet, the rust-colored fabric had me thinking – “Why not?”

I’ll skip the tutorial because there’s already good ones out there – like this one from Betz White.  Suffice to say I cut up the king-size pillow shams and sewed them into square “envelope” pillow covers that open in the back for ease of use.  Envelope covers are my fave, because there is no fighting with a zipper when you sew them!

Once the pillow cases were made, I surprised myself by finding a ton of earthy fabric scraps in my stockpile.  I sketched and printed some shapes onto scrap paper, cut them out, and used them as templates to make a few little seasonal appliques for the pillows. Some brown microfiber fabric became a bird and a branch, while an old strip of burlap made some fun textured acorns and leaves. With only an hour to spare before company arrived, I laid out my designs and used fabric glue to adhere the appliques to the pillow cases. Oh, I was so excited and impressed with myself!

I love my pillows.  They provide a touch of fall ambiance and provide a cozy cushion for those rainy days that require curling up with a warm mug of cider and a good book.  Plus, my sofa needed a splash of color.  Bonus: because they’re just pillow covers, they can be easily removed, folded, and stored when not in use during the other seasons.

Shared at Upcycled Awesome at The T-Shirt Diaries, Sew Much Ado, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, and Someday Crafts.  Hop on over to these blogs to see a slew of other great fall decor ideas!

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13 Comments

  • Reply Jeannine @ Small & Chic at 11:27 am

    Dang, you are a crafty rock star! I would have never thought to do this…nor do I have the tools to do it! I love the cut outs!

  • Reply Kelly at 11:38 am

    I love that these are removable covers. That is so clever! The acorn one is my favorite — so cute. 🙂

  • Reply Sunny's Life in Rehab at 1:54 pm

    Those turned out really cute! I love that you reused the fabric, and your appliques are beautiful. As far as storing the covers, I just keep them on the pillows and put the new seasonal cover over the rest.

  • Reply Michelle at 2:00 pm

    Great idea! Cute appliques! Amazing what a difference a few pops of color can make! 🙂

  • Reply Van at 8:35 pm

    I love how the rough edges on this add nice texture! Beautiful warm, rich colors too. Perfect for fall.

  • Reply Kim @ Cheap Chic Home at 9:00 pm

    What cute pillows! I really like the colors you had on hand and using acorns along with your bird and branch. I’ll bet your company thought they were amazing.

  • Reply Jess at 10:00 am

    This looks great! I love projects that re-use!

    Jess
    http://www.ourlifeinhisgrace.tumblr.com

  • Reply Katie @ Making This Home at 10:53 am

    cute cute cute!

    Your comments about Martha and storage space make me laugh. I always remember… her kitchen is twice the size of my entire apartment in Berlin. Just her kitchen!

    Katie

  • Reply Abby @ abby & her boys at 2:30 pm

    Very impressive! Those colors look great in your house.

  • Reply Mikalah at 5:42 pm

    Very cute! I totally agree that it is ridiculous to try and buy new things every season! I love just moving stuff around and “shopping” my own house to see what I can find!

  • Reply Vikki at 12:25 am

    HELLO fellow BYW’er! Wow, finally having time to peruse the forums for new blogs has proven to be a goldmine tonight, and you, my lady, are the cat’s meow!

    I too am a apartment-turned-home blogger! I’ve just started so a lot of my home isn’t featured yet, but after just noticing how far your archives go back, I’m definitely feeling inspired! BIG thank you!!!

    I only got this far down the page before I knew I just had to say hi, so HI, and I’m off to catch more of your adventures in apartment living. Very cool to find a lady like yourself!

    xo,
    Vikki

  • Reply Kristin at 12:34 am

    Love those darling pillows. Happy fall!

  • Reply Morgane @ bear, dolly and moi at 6:00 pm

    your pillow is great. While I am not like Martha either, I do like the made different pillow covers.
    Your fall applique adds a nice touch of color and texture. It compliments nicely your other pillows.

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