Weekly DIY: Initial pillow

This week’s project is a bit lengthy for those of you that have some extra time off from work and school (it took me about a day and a half). Don’t be discouraged by that fact that it requires sewing, it just requires a little bit of patience. It can also be simplified by ink-transferring instead of beading, or by removing the cordedge trim.

To begin, choose your letter and font. I used “Edwardian Script” at 700 pt. font size (approx 6″ high). Print and take one piece of fabric and using a pencil, trace the letter onto the fabric. To prevent any gaps between beads, color the letter in using a black marker.

Place the piece of fabric between the embroidery hoop, pulling the fabric so it is taut in between the hoops. Single thread (one end of the thread has a knot in, the other hangs loose) a beading needle. Don’t make the thread longer than the distance from your elbow to your hand. Too long thread gets tangled easy. Note that you will need to re-thread from time to time to finish your project.

Begin beading, using at most 2 beads at a time. For sections that require more that 2 beads, still bead 2 at a time, but once all have been sewn down, go back through every bead in the line so that they lay straight. You can sew the beads down in any direction you want. I chose to follow the direction of the line I’m beading on.

Take your bias tape and piping or cordedge trim and pin it to the letter side of the fabric. At each corner, you’ll make a small cut in the tape or trim. This helps you twist the tape to better match the shape of the fabric. Baste (a long, quick in-and-out semi-permanent stitch) the tape the the letter side of the fabric, approx 1/4″ away from the edge.

On the bottom edge of the fabric with the trim, mark an opening 6″ wide in the center if you are using fiberfill, or an opening 14″ wide if you are using the pillowform. Stitch the cording trim or bias tape down in the marked 6″ or 14″ opening 1/2″ away from the edge using a sewing machine or an even backstitch (think two steps forward, one step back) with a double-threaded needle.

Next, put the two pieces of fabric, right sides together. The cording/trim should be sandwiched in between the two pieces of fabric, and only the wrong side of the beaded letter visible. Sew the two pieces together all the way around, EXCEPT FOR the previously sewn 6″ or 14″ space, 1/2″ away from the edge of the fabric. Once the pieces are sewn together, you should have an opening (either 6″ or 14″ wide) to stuff the pillow with.

You’re almost done. Turn the fabric inside out, so that you now see the beaded letter. Stuff the pillow with fiberfill or the 14″ x 14″ pillow form and handsew the opening closed using a slipstitch with a single threaded needle. And your done!