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Sew Home - Corded Throw Pillow & a Giveaway!

September 23, 2016 43 Comments

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Sew Home Blog Hop. My dear friend, Erin Schlosser has just released her first book, Sew Home, with C&T Publishing. It's packed full of fantastic, versatile, and skill building projects for every room of your home, including:

Window Treatments
Bathrooms (bathmat, shower curtain, hand towels)
Kitchen (tablecloth, table runner, napkins)
Storage and Organization
Indoor Decor
Outdoor Sewing

When Erin asked me to be a part of her blog hop and book release, I was thrilled (be sure to read to the end, for a chance to win a copy of Erin's new book!). The majority of my sewing time is spent making clothes for my daughters and quilts. I've only dipped my toes in the waters of home dec. Erin's book inspired me to dive right in, and I found myself wanting to make many of her projects. I settled on the Corded Throw Pillow (upper left in the image above) because I wanted to give cording a try, and install a zipper in a new way.

Cording is not something that I have much experience with, but Erin's simple instructions made it virtually pain-free. She shares a great trick for cutting the fabric at just the right measurement to wrap around the cording, no matter what size cording you use. I must say, it worked like a charm!

For my pillow, I used linen with a large scale print. Linen can been thin, and fray a bit when cutting and sewing. In the book, Erin suggests using a fusible interfacing for thinner fabrics. I used her suggestion, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I really appreciate that Erin recognized that not everyone will want to use or have access to home dec fabrics. Being able to use what I had in my stash made me love Erin's book even more. You're going to love it too!

I've known Erin for a few years, and got her hooked on glue basting long ago. When Erin was writing her book, she reached out to me and asked it would be okay with me to use our Micro Fine Glue Tips as a resource in her book. I said, "Absolutely!" Erin references glue basting as a tool for helping to make many of her projects, including the Corded Throw Pillow. The Corded Throw Pillow is made with a standard zipper. There are many, many ways to install a zipper. Erin shares a simple method and it's made even easier by glue basting the zipper to the pillow backing before you sew. I use Liquid Stitch (a permanent fabric glue - it's thick and will adhere the zipper to the backing easily) and the Micro Fine Glue Tips for glue basting zippers. I simply apply the glue, and heat set with a hot, dry iron, then sew. There's no shifting or puckering, and the zipper lays nice and flat.

My own couch may need a few pillow friends to go with my lovely new pillow, and maybe some new placemats or a table runner.

Erin and C&T Publishing are generously giving away a copy of her book to one of my readers! To enter, leave a comment letting me know one thing that you'd like to make for your home - napkins, a shower curtain, storage containers, pillows, cushions for a patio set, a personalized clock, or something else altogether? The giveaway will run until the end of the blog hop, on Sept. 29th.

For more project inspiration, be sure to stop by the the other blogs on the blog hop tour:

Tuesday, September 20 - C&T Publishing & Joanna at Kustom Kwilts and Designs

Wednesday, September 21 - Sew 4 Home & Jen Carlton Bailly

Thursday, September 22 - Brenda at Just A Bit Frayed/Pink Castle Fabrics & Nicole at Modern Handcraft

Friday, September 23 - Janome Sewing Machines & Cristy at Purple Daisies Quilting

Monday, September 26 - Windham Fabrics & Rebecca at Bryan House Quilts

Tuesday, September 27 - Generation Q Magazine, Karen Lewis Textiles & Latifah Saafir Studios

Wednesday, September 28 - Dear Stella Fabrics & Mandy at Mandalei Quilts

Thursday, September 29 - Erin at Schlosser Designs

10 Responses

Mary Rotert

April 22, 2020

I want to make exactly the blue and orange corded pillow for a friend, learn the glue-in zipper technique, and how to cut fabric for cording. I also have a couple of tired and boring lamp shades of my own that need a lift! Thanks, Mary