Wednesday, January 12, 2011

another anthro-mutation pillow and yes, I have a thing for birds and leaves

Angela Adams dishtowel pillow. With an older placemat pillow behind it.

I know winter has just begun (we've been locked inside for three days after a rare Georgia ice storm), but right after Christmas I always feel the pull toward citrus colors. I need cheerful things around me to make up for the weak sunlight.

When my BFF and I hit the Anthro in New Orleans a while back I got this great Angela Adams dishtowel. I can't imagine using dishtowels I buy there for drying dishes or mopping up milk. That just seems insane, so it was bought with future pillows in mind.


I cut the dishtowel in half and used one half of it to make the front of the pillow. It needed some applique leaves on a stem for a punch of color. Then it needed some embroidery on the bird to balance some of the new color. I was just going to back it with some contrasting fabric and stuff it, but then I realized:
  1. I was not in the mood to stuff anything. I really don't enjoy it.
  2. I had a pile of perfectly good square pillows just sitting there
So I added a strip of shot cotton and some trim to each end to square it up.


Then I backed it with denim that was overlapped in the middle just like I did to the napkin pillow here, so it is a removable cover. I stuffed in the square pillow, tacked it shut and added a button for looks.


Now I need to do something with the other half of the dish towel and cute leftover ball trim. I keep everything. You should see my ridiculous pile of scraps. It is really hard for me to throw away fabric. I did an epic cleanout of my craft loft yesterday and I made myself donate a bunch of thrifted fabric and clothing that has been sitting up here for ages. My husband saw the large pile I was carrying out and murmured "Thank you, Lord, for answered prayers" and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. My craft loft is also his office.

16 comments:

  1. This pillow is so pretty!!! I lOVE what you added to the design!

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  2. Your husband sounds like a great guy. Haha. I love your pillows. I would not have thought of picking up a placemat to make that pillow...even though I've seen tons of tutorials for how to make things from placemats...

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  3. Next time you should totally do a giveaway with your stash! It might encourage you to do it more often since you'd know the leftovers were going to your adoring fans!

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  4. Our office and my sewing area share a space too...one day maybe they can be seperate! Love the pillows and all the detail you put into them! :)

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  5. Thanks, y'all.

    Mama Pea, I have to give credit for that kind of repurpose thinking to my friend Robyn. She showed me to think of any table linens I find as potential shower curtains, pillows and accessories.

    Kim, believe me, you would not have been thrilled with this stuff. It was a collection of thrifted linens and not very exciting. At all. Seriously.

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  6. Wait..... There's an office up there?!? ;)
    I love the embroidery additions and the resulting pillow. I'm sure you will think up something quirky to do with the remaining piece of towel.

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  7. I think my hubby and your hubby could be friends, or at least commisserate together about the craft supplies/thrifted "stuff" bursting from every seam of the house! Love the pillow, it looks fantastic!

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  8. i love your alterations to the pillows. a perfect personal touch is a definite must. it looks amazing!!!

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  9. Your pillows are lovely and would really brighten up any room.

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  10. love this larissa, totally beautiful and totally you! :)

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  11. These are so cute. I actually bought Anthro dishtowels, cut them in half and made them into cafe curtains for my kitchen, like you said they were way too cute to clean up messes or dry dishes!

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  12. Turned out great! I also have far too many "too nice to use" linens like this I could repurpose. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Ha - love that guy. Love what you did with the pillow, too! I didn't even recognize it. So pretty and creative.

    BTW, wish you could have heard Asher when I opened your post. "Pillow! Pillow!" So gut-wrenchingly cute. Really, I'm being totally objective. But then he started trying to type, so he had to go. The resulting tantrum was gut-wrenching, too.

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  14. in love with the detail patchwork. great work. i put you in my artsy people alive :))

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  15. I love birds too! These are gorgeous!

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  16. I love it! I have two dish towels from Anthro I've been hoarding for a few years now. I can't bring myself to wipe off counters with them either, lol. I think I see pillows in my future!

    And P.S. my husband is the same way and we don't even share my craft room! Oy.

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