Monday, April 25, 2011

Ruffled Golden Pillow: Pier 1 Knock Off

Picnik collagepillow

I shared this pillow a few weeks ago as a part of The Sincerest Form of Flattery series over at KoJo Designs. It was a whole series dedicated to knock off projects, and had some amazing stuff in!

Flatteryus

I modeled my pillow after this one from Pier 1.

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Lovely right?! But at $30 for one, it was pretty well out of the ole' budget, but I was up for the challenge! I actually really enjoy browsing Pier 1 for inspiration, and then heading over to Hobby Lobby or Michaels with my 40% off coupons and seeing how I can pull it off with less cash. This day was no exception. So I made this.

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Like it? Read on for the details!!

Pillow 1

I found this golden yellow polyester satin material at JoAnn Fabrics, and purchased 2 yards with my 40% off coupon. I got some matching thread and headed home. I already had a pillow that was pretty darn squashed and knew it would be a good candidate for receiving a ruffly makeover.

Pillow 2

I folded the fabric lengthwise and then folded it again so that there were 4 strips of fabric on top of one another. I then used my rotary blade to cut long strips that were 2 inches wide until I had a big pile. I also cut out 2 rectangles that were the size of the pillow +1 1/2 inches to make the pillowcase.

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I lit a candle and lightly seared the top edge and sides of the long strips of fabric to keep them from fraying and add just a little stiffness to the fabric. I moved the strips along quickly so that there wasn't a thick melted line along the edges and it wouldn't curl up and darken. (This is a great technique for making flowers, but not what I was looking for for my pillow.) I took a long strip of fabric and pinned it just below the corner of the pillowcase, folding the bottom over in a few spots to give it a slightly ruffled look.

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I then took it to my sewing machine and sewed a straight stitch across the ruffles, stopping about a half inch away from the edge of the pillow, and backstitching to secure the fabric.

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I then folded the fabric back over the first row of ruffles, pulling it down slightly to show off the row above it, and pinned it into place with more pleats along the bottom. I went back to the sewing machine and sewed that row down as well, being sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of the row. I repeated this process over and over until one corner of the pillowcase was covered with ruffles, never cutting the strip of fabric at the end of a row, just continuing to fold it over and start a new row.

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I wanted my rows of ruffles to lay flat around the edges of the pillow but pop up more towards the center of the pillow. So as I was sewing the rows that were towards the center of the pillow, I would lightly tug the bottom of the fabric to the right so that the ruffled top popped up a bit more, and would sew it from there. I also made sure that there were just a few pleats in the rows on the edge of the pillow, but lots of pleats in the center rows to give a much more full and ruffled look.

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Like this.

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I repeated this method on each of the 4 corners of the pillow until the ruffled sides ran into one another.

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I then pinned a long strip of fabric all around the center of the pillow to fill in the gaps, and continued to layer the ruffles in a circular pattern until I reached the middle of the pillow.

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Eventually there was a small section in the center of the pillow that was too small for me to sew on my sewing machine.

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So I grabbed another strip of fabric and started rolling it into a ruffled flower, stopping periodically to secure the ruffles in place with a few stitches.

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I kept rolling the flower until it was big enough to fill the center of the pillow and hand stitched it in place.

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I then pinned the right side of my 2 pieces of fabric together, being careful to fold down the ruffles that were towards the edges of the pillowcase, and left a half inch seam allowance around the edge. I left an opening large enough to stuff in my pillow insert, and straight stitched around the edges. I flipped the pillowcase right-side out, stuffed in my insert and hand stitched the opening closed.

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Now you can just sit back and bask in the ruffly gorgeousness!!

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Is it wrong that I like mine better than the original? Thanks for a great idea Pier 1!!

Picnik collagepillow2

I'll be linking up to these great parties this week, so stop by and say hi!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter, and happy Monday!

E1025F317CFB5B8E9E5C526E5CC0F475 copy

34 comments:

Jenna Lee April 25, 2011 at 6:53 AM  

Its beautiful! You really have a wonderful talent! I love the color you picked! I like it very much.

http://jennaleelac.blogspot.com/

Maggie Massey April 25, 2011 at 7:27 AM  

Every single time I'm in Pier 1 I put this pillow in my basket...then, by the time I'm ready to check out I just can't justify the cost...now I don't have to!!!!! Your pillow is even better than theirs...I'm definitely doing this! Thanks so so much for the tutorial!!!

Andrea . Charcoal and Crayons April 25, 2011 at 8:06 AM  

So gorgeous... this is going on the to do list! And thank you for the candle tip for the edges too.

Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door April 25, 2011 at 8:21 AM  

"Ruffly Gorgeousness" That is exactly what this is! Love it!

Anonymous April 25, 2011 at 8:43 AM  

oh, i like yours better than the inspiration, too! it's a combination of your ruffles (more than theirs, it seems!), and the bright, spring-time color.
awesome!

Unknown April 25, 2011 at 9:42 AM  

It looks awesome! I've seen those pillows at Pier 1 and have wanted one too. Too bad I don't know how to sew or I would make one. :)

Brandy J. April 25, 2011 at 9:56 AM  

STUNNING!!!!!

Alyssa April 25, 2011 at 11:31 AM  

Super cute. You could do the same thing with 2 1/4" wide ribbon (satin or even grosgrain) and you wouldn't have to cut the strips even!

Julianna April 25, 2011 at 12:39 PM  

Very nice! I'd love for you to link up at Inspire Me Mondays.
http://singingthreelittlebirds.blogspot.com/2011/04/inspire-me-monday_25.html

Sweet Peas and Bumblebees April 25, 2011 at 8:15 PM  

I'm in LOVE with your project!! What a super cute idea...I've been contemplating sewing a pillow lately and I think your ideas the cutest I've seen yet! I'm your newest follower and can't wait to see what you do next!

You should link up your project to our What I Made Wednesday Linky party at http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ this Wednesday!

Thanks for a great idea!

~ Briana @ Sweet Peas & Bumblebees

Chameleon Girls April 25, 2011 at 8:24 PM  

I will have to try this- it looks so cute and fun!

Rachel April 25, 2011 at 10:00 PM  

GOR-GEOUS!!! Absolutely love it.

Unknown April 26, 2011 at 6:52 AM  

Gorgeous, I have been wanting to make one of those, thanks for sharing.

Tiffany April 26, 2011 at 11:09 AM  

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this beauty! Seriously perfect.

Alison @ Oopsey Daisy April 27, 2011 at 10:01 AM  

This pillow is amazing. I just stumbled, pinned it, and tweeted about it. I also featured it today on my Wednesday's Wowzers. Here is the link:

http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2011/04/wednesdays-wowzers-hurry-up-summer.html

Thanks for the inspiration!
~Alison

kara@elements-interiors.net April 27, 2011 at 5:43 PM  

I LOVE your post and Love your blog!

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Im your newest follower!

Kristen April 27, 2011 at 9:01 PM  

I LOVE your pillow! It looks absolutely fantastic. My mother-in-law JUST bought those exact pillows from Pier 1 and I was wondering how I could make them for my own house ($30 isnt in my budget either!). Do you have any recommendations on any other type of fabric I might be able to use?

Jennifer April 27, 2011 at 9:06 PM  

I love this pillow! You make it look so (somewhat easy)! I really need to branch out and make things a little harder than square pillows and rectangular drapes! Haha! Thanks for the tutorial!
Jen
Scissors & Spatulas

Designed by Chance April 28, 2011 at 11:14 PM  

Nice Job! I have been thinking about making a pillow like this for a while.

Debbie~ April 28, 2011 at 11:15 PM  

Fabulous!!! I've been wanting to do some ruffles and I think you've pushed me over the edge!!! Thanks so much for such a sweet inspiration! Debbie @ Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

Little City Farm April 29, 2011 at 12:54 PM  

Yes, I agree that colour is great. You make this look so easy.

Maggie April 30, 2011 at 1:06 PM  

So pretty. I need a deocrative pillow for my bed, this maybe it...

PicturePerfectPixies April 30, 2011 at 2:01 PM  

Thanks for the great tutorial! I will have to try this....

The Little Red Hen April 30, 2011 at 2:12 PM  

SIMPLY AESOME GIRLFRIEND

VANESSA

Sachiko May 1, 2011 at 10:58 PM  

This pillow is one of my favorites among the ones that I saw in blogland. Thank you for visiting my link party and sharing this!

darceygrandma2_4 May 2, 2011 at 4:44 PM  

I really like yours better than the pier 1 pillow, you did a great job.

Jacqueline May 5, 2011 at 7:47 PM  

I love this pillow and need to make one, yours looks so good, mine probably wont lol, I feature this at my link party. Thanks for sharing and hope you come back!

Lolly Jane May 7, 2011 at 2:17 AM  

Featured you today! Stop by to snag a featured button :) xo

Leanne May 14, 2011 at 1:23 AM  

That is so beautiful. Thanks for the tutorial and thanks for linking to the party. See you next time.

Leanne May 14, 2011 at 1:23 AM  

That is so beautiful. Thanks for the tutorial and thanks for linking to the party. See you next time.

Alex May 17, 2011 at 10:02 AM  

Wow! This is a great project and tut! TFS! Would love of you would consider posting it on my new linking party " Made It My Myself Mondays"
http://www.youhadmeatcraft.com/2011/05/its-official-made-it-myself-mondays-is.html#comment-204975075
HUGS!

meg@happylooksgoodonyou May 21, 2011 at 9:55 AM  

I have seen these style of pillows and have wanted to try making one, but wasn't sure how. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this great tutorial! It looks fantastic!

Unknown May 26, 2011 at 8:30 AM  

Beautiful!!!! With a house full of boys this would be a must for me. I need something feminine.

Steph @ somewhatsimple May 30, 2012 at 1:18 AM  

LOVE this idea! I am totally featuring it, for sure! :)

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