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Floating On A Cloud Minky & Cotton Pillows

Friday, 08 April 2011 9:00

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Out here in the Northwest, we know our clouds. Just as they say the Eskimos have dozens of words to describe snow, I think we have just as many to describe clouds and the rain that often descends from them. Today, we've ignored those water-logged centers and chosen our favorite fluffy white clouds... the ones you found shapes in as a child, lying on your back in the summer grass. "There's a chariot pulled by four white horses!" "I see a tumbling bear!" "Look, an ice cream cone!" Our clouds are made of super-soft Minky Eyelash on the front and pure cool silver cotton on the back... a silver lining, I guess. We provide our own cloud drawing as a guide, but feel free to make one in the shape of a tumbling bear.

Free Spirit Artist Trio: Guest Tutorial in Silent Cinema From Jenean Morrison

Thursday, 07 April 2011 9:00

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This year, we have a new series we've started with our friends at Free Spirit Fabrics. We call it: Artist Trios. In the coming months, you'll get the chance to 1) meet some fabulous Free Spirit designers, 2) try out a special project each will create just for Sew4Home, and 3) maybe win some of their gorgeous fabrics. Easy and fun as 1-2-3. Earlier this week, we introduced you to our debut Artist, Jenean Morrison. Today, she shares her original patchwork pillow pattern.

Take A Second Look: Cozy Kid's Roll-Up Nap Blanket

Wednesday, 30 March 2011 9:00

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It's been Spring Break around here, which meant we've seen a lot of folks on a lot of road trips. It reminded us how challenging it can sometimes be to travel with young kids, and so we thought this would be a good time to take a second look at a project we posted last October. This soft and sweet nap time pad, featuring its own built-in blanket, rolls up with a handle-tie strap. It's the perfect portable snooze pad to toss in the car as you head off on vacation. Having a 'staycation' instead? No problem, roll it out at home or tote it to daycare. Soft flannel and cushy batting make for sweet daytime dreams wherever you go.

Gypsy Romance: 3-D Triangle Pillows

Wednesday, 16 March 2011 9:00

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Truth be told, these pillows are not actually triangles, they are tetrahedrons. But not only is that impossible to say, it sounds like a scary flying dinosaur - not what it really is: a cute pyramid pillow. We found these unique pillow forms from online resource, Downlite. Each pillow (we provide templates for a small 14" and a large 16") is made up of 16 triangles, and because we paid extra attention in Geometry class, we were able to come up with a layout that, when folded and stitched together into its final 3-D shape, has different patterns aligned at every seam. Like a little tetrahedron Rubik's Cube.

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Take A Second Look: Bow Tie Pillows Protect Your Neck

Friday, 11 March 2011 9:00
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This awesome pillow pattern debuted back in December 2009 and has maintained a consistent position on our Most Popular Projects list ever since. The bow tie shape is perfect for propping up your noggin while you watch TV or read in bed. And, we've gotten a number of emails from S4H fans who've made them for older relatives who LOVE the little pillows as gentle support for their necks while they sleep. They're easy to create despite their complex-looking shape; you can make one in less than an hour with just a half yard of fabric.

Teen Pretty Pack: Decorative Softee Bolster Pillow

Thursday, 17 February 2011 9:00

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Sitting up takes sooooooo much work. Especially when the alternative is stretching out with the latest news and a super soft bolster pillow to gently prop your head. The third project in our Teen Pretty Pack trio is this extra long, extra soft bolster/neckroll pillow. We used Minky Marshmallow for our center panel trimmed with the beautiful swooping birds of Michael Miller Fabric's Bonnes Amies. I'm sure our model has finished her homework and is just relaxing. At least... I'm pretty sure.

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Valentine's Day: Hoopla Pre-Cuts: Box o' Chocolates Heart Pillows

Monday, 31 January 2011 9:00

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This is exactly the project you've been waiting for: the Zero Calorie box of Valentine's chocolate! Our theme of chubby holiday hearts continues with these plump little pillows. We added a pleated chiffon sash across the center to give them the look of the classic heart-shaped boxed of assorted chocolates. Secret Tip: hidden inside layers of batting and muslin keep our hearts smooth and round. They are fast and easy to make and take just small cuts of fabric; use used Fat Quarters of Hoopla by Moda for ours. They'll make a perfect gift for everyone you love, because just like Forrest said, "Life is like a box o' chocolates!"

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Silk Color Block Pillows - Standing Crane: Cascading Bottom Pleats with Bow Accent

Friday, 21 January 2011 9:00

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Did anyone ever try to teach you origami? I'll wager a paper crane was your first, and maybe your only, project. So here's your little known fact for the day: origami is Japanese paper folding; its predecessor is the Chinese paper art called zhe zhi. The graceful crane is revered in China as the symbol for longevity. Although often depicted in flight, the four pleats of our Standing Crane Pillow, the last project in our Silk Color Block Pillows week, simulates the beautiful folded wings of a crane at rest. While you are resting, ponder today's Chinese proverb: 
Better the cottage where one is merry, than the palace where one weeps.

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Silk Color Block Pillows - Tiger Eye: Five Knife-Edge Box Pleats

Thursday, 20 January 2011 9:00

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The Chinese consider the tiger to be king of all the beasts and a symbol of powerful energy. Ancient myths tell of five tigers – white, black, blue, red and yellow – who hold the universe in perfect balance, preventing a collapse into chaos. Our fourth Silk Color Block Pillow is the Tiger Eye with five sharp box pleats representing the five tigers of protection. A hidden line of edgestitching keeps these pleats crisp and clean without any topstitching to disturb the beautiful surface of the silk dupioni. Today's Chinese proverb is: A gem is not polished without rubbing; nor a man made perfect without trials.

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Silk Color Block Pillows - Yin Yang: Swooping Curve of Light Against Dark

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 9:00

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Light is to dark. Hot is to cold. Force is to passivity. Yin Yang describes how both sides of any coin must exist in order for the coin itself to remain whole. The third project in our week of Silk Color Block Pillows is our Yin Yang pillow with a swoosh of light against a line of dark. We show you have to make and insert a facing to produce a sharp, flat curve without topstitching. If you don't spend much time in the world of garment sewing, a facing with understitching may be a new technique for you. Something else new is today's Chinese proverb: Forget the favors you have given; remember those received.

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