Peter's Pillows or Friends = Inspiration + Exhaustion

This week has been a rush...time wise and as a feeling.

I rarely do any crafts/artsy live events yesterday  was one of them in nearby Seville, Ohio. They are becoming quite an antique center. I never feel like I have enough stuff or the right stuff so I stitched up some last minute items.

Doesn't look like I'm killing myself here but the set-up and take down is exhausting and I did it in the driveway the day before to be practiced and ready. I love the brick wall background, but the trash cans kind of kill the ambience.  You'll notice this is a walk-thru booth. Some people walked in the street so as not to disturb me, which I found disturbing.

Didn't feel like I sold much , but when I got home and counted the cash it was okay.



THEN

Peter of the Male Pattern Boldness blog switched up his sewing and instead of making some of his superbly sewn garments, he made drapes.  I, who prefer non-garment sewing, challenged him that if he completed them, I would reward him with some new pillows for the sofa for more decor spiffiness.
Well, of course, he completed them in record time so I set to work immediately.  I didn't want to disappoint a friend.

If you are a blogger or a blog reader you know about these kinds of friends that the non-bloggers think you have made up.  But, when you find people with your interests who write entertaining and informative blogs you can become very attached. I hope this doesn't sound creepy. I am not a stalker and know the boundaries.

SO

I wanted something to complement the colors in the apartment and the style so I went out of my comfort zone and searched Pinterest for Mid-Century Modern inspiration.

These were my inspiration for the designs.

I planned it out on paper

Made little pattern pieces with Kraft paper then traced them onto Heat n Bond Lite which allows you to stick your appliqués to the fabric without pins.  You'll see that I had to get those lines laid down first before stitching down the fabric pieces which had to be applied in the correct order.

After this point I was too into the project to even think about taking pictures.  After completing the appliqué, I used a fusible batting and machine quilted in whatever way the design "told" me.

Here they are completed.  They look pretty good on the brown chaise lounge but the main color is a very lightly patterned gray.  I love that the lighter orange has a silvery dot and that darker crosshatch pattern has a sewing reference. If you will look closely there a actually needles in the design.

                           When attempting the closeup my grandson photo-bombed the picture.

       The backs are pretty nice, too IMHO.  The zippers are hidden under the orange and blue stripe.

And here they are in their new home in New York City on Peter's sofa.
Stop by for a visit at Male Pattern Boldness. You will need to scroll down a way to after the wacky patterned shirt.











Since my mention and thank you on Peter's blog,  I have received a huge number of folks visiting my Etsy shop.  If they were looking for these pillow they were disappointed. These exact pillows will never be repeated , but I'm definitely going to make some more in the Mid-Century mode very soon.