| No-Sew Pillow Covers |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-108 |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
Q: How can I jazz up the plain, standard sofa pillows that came with my couch?
A: (Nancy Golden, Ask DIY Decorating expert) Depending on what size pillows came with your couch, one of these three no-sew approaches should work: - Cover a square pillow form with an upscale designer linen pillowcase in a leopardskin pattern. Stuff the pillow form all the way down to the bottom of the case, and then twist the opening shut. Tie it shut with some natural-looking raffia and some exotic-looking bead trim.
- Cover a bolster pillow with a piece of fabric large enough to overlap at the center, widthwise, and still leave from 4 to 7 inches or so of extra fabric at each side. Use pinking shears along all the edges so that they won't fray. Place the bolster in the center of the wrong side of the fabric (figure A). Fold down a hem on the two long sides of the material, and then bring them up to overlap on the top of the bolster, as if you're wrapping a rectangular present.
Holding the fabric wrapper shut, bunch one end in your hand, candy-wrapper style, and use a rubber band to fasten it closed. Repeat on the other side. Tie an oversized bow of French wire ribbon to hide the rubber bands on both sides. If you like, add some trim to the pinked edges. Or fold the edges in and bunch them together to form a fabric rosette (figure B). Use fabric glue to secure it. - Insert a smaller square pillow form between two napkins that are each two inches longer and wider than the pillow (figure C). Make little pig's tails on all four corners. Fasten them with rubber bands, and cover them with bits of ribbon.
More questions for Nancy:
Q: Do you always have to place the sofa against the wall?
A: Absolutely not! In fact, a lot of designers like to "float" their furniture in the room. That's design-speak for just pulling it away from the wall. You can put a sofa table behind a "floating" sofa, use it as a room divider, or angle it between opposing ends of the room to address, for example, both the television and the fireplace.
Q: My sofa upholstery zips off from the cushions. Does this mean I can throw it in the laundry and wash it?
A: Before you even think about washing it, check with the manufacturer. There's only an outside teeny-tiny chance that it's washable. Nine times out of 10 it won't be, so invest in a professional cleaning.
Q: I used grommets to make a window treatment. What else can I use them for?
A: Try placing the grommets along the open edge of a pillowcase, and fastening a pillow form inside by tying ribbons through the grommets, shoelace-style. Or use the grommets to make a shower curtain from fabric. If you wanted a polka-dot effect, you could attach the grommets randomly across the surface of the shower curtain. Web site resources for No-Sew Pillows: No-Sew Grommet Pillows from HGTV.com No-Sew Accent Pillows from HGTV.com No Sew Pillows from I-Craft.com No Sew Pillows from Home Making Cottage.com No-Sew Pillows from AZ Family.com No-Sew Bolster Pillows from To Readors.com No-Sew Pillows Books: Handmade Pillows: Decorative Accents Throughout Your Home
By Arlene Hamilton Stewart
Hearst Books (1998)
959 Eighth Ave.
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-649-2000
Step-by-Step Pillows and Cushions
By Hilery More
Meredith Corp. (1998)
1716 Locust St.
Des Moines, IA 50309-0302
Phone: 515-284-3000
Toll-Free Phone: 800-678-8091
Fax: 515-284-3371
Web site: www.meredith.com
| 
)
)
)
)
