New Pillows

I hope everyone survived the hurricane this past weekend.  Luckily New York City didn't get hit nearly as hard as they were expecting so we were safe and sound in our little apartment.  Between the hurricane and the earthquake, it was quite a week!  Anyway, I finally got around to making some pillows for our living room so I wanted to share them with you.

Months ago, I bought some Thomas Paul fabric from Calico Corners.  I didn't even realize that it was the same pattern as these pillows that I posted about back in 2009 until after I bought it.  That design must have been ingrained in me! 

I loosely followed these instructions by Isabella and Max Rooms.  Unfortunately I didn't end up using a zipper, although it looks easy enough.  I cut the fabric to the size of the pillow insert.

And then I made a contrasting navy cording to go around the pillow. 

Next, I sandwiched it in between the two right side facing pieces of fabric.  And pinned it together.

Then I sewed the pieces together and trimmed the edges.  You'll notice that I can't sew in a straight line for the life of me but it still worked and you can't even tell once you flip the pillow right side out. 

Doesn't the pillow look so much more professional with the cording around it? 

And here are the finished pillows!  They add that pop of color that the couch and the living room needed. 

You'll notice on the right side of the pillow that since I didn't use a zipper, I had to haphazardly sew the opening shut.  It doesn't look great but I can't really be a perfectionist when it comes to my sewing.  Plus I was just impatient and wanted to get them finished!

Here's a bigger shot of the living room.  

You know when you live in a space for a long time, you kind of just take it for granted?  It was nice to step back and realize that I really do love the space I've created.  It's cozy, clean and bright.  And it makes up for the lack of view.  

Well, we actually do have a "partial" view.  You just have to stand closer to the window and look to your left to see the Hudson River. 

And you'll be happy to know that these pillows have been Navy-Approved!