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Handmade Holidays Time!

hh2015I’m excited to be the one to kick off the Handmade Holidays over at Sew,Mama,Sew! If you’re new to the series, you’re gonna love this. Every year Handmade Holidays runs through November, each day offering up tutorials gathered by a variety of designers, authors, and bloggers.

My focus was Gifts for Crafty People and I included tutorials for a pincushion, apron, clock, lanyard, crochet hook case and my own needle book. Plus there are a couple of my favorite recipes (mmm!) and some printables. Continue reading “Handmade Holidays Time!”

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Let’s Talk: Sewing Pillows

IMG_3043Head over to Sew, Mama, Sew for an inside scoop on how to make pillows that look more professional than a simple envelope pillow cover. I did a guest post for them earlier in the month, but forgot to get it published over here. Oops!

I’ve been making pillows for a while and have them up as PDX Pillows on Etsy and have figured out a few tricks that make a real difference in the final appearance.

One important thing that I don’t really talk about in the SMS post is the choice of pillow form. I prefer a down pillow form, but they can be hard to find (and expensive!). Instead I have been using the Home Elegance pillows from Poly-Fil. They have them at work and feel more like down than most other pillow forms. They sell for $20-25 for a 20-inch square pillow, so they cost a bit more than your typical stuffed pillow form, but they feel so much better. And really, when you’re leaning back against pillows on your sofa, you want them to feel nice.

Do you have other tricks for making nice pillows? Do you prefer invisible zippers or lapped? What’s your take on button closures?

 

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Love @ Hello Etsy

I had the chance to go to the Hello Etsy conference in Portland last Saturday. It was a super inspirational day that left me with a notebook full of great ideas and quotes and fun tips. When I will actually have the time to implement them, I’m not sure, but I really, really want to!

Isaac asked if I’d write a recap and here it is on I Heart Art:PDX. Check out Leah’s post for some links to the video clips of the conference talks.