Felt: December 2011 Archives
With New Year's Eve
almost upon us, I realized how tired I was from the holidays and the party yet
to come. I wondered how I would recover. With a toddler, down time is a luxury
and recovery time is not abundant. So whether you need to recover from an
abundance of champagne or from just being out past midnight, my first aid
pillow will speed your recovery and get you ready to break all your resolutions
(unless you resolve not to make any). The magic is in the rice filling which
holds heat and settles to shape to any part that ails you. Be sure and use only
natural fibers because poly blends may melt from the heat. I recommend some of
our wool
suitings for the pillow case and some flannel for the red cross. Here's how
to make one or several for you and your pals.
Materials for one First
Aid Pillow:
½ yd of medium
weight fabric (Wool, Cotton or Linen)
½ yd of flannel
(Wool or Cotton
or Wool felt)
1-2 lbs of rice
Download
your First Aid Pillow Pattern and cut out just the square. Trace 2 squares
onto your pillow fabric, cut out squares and set aside. Cut out the red cross and cut out 1 from
flannel
Hand stitch or machine
stitch your cross centered on your pillow, matching up edges. With right sides
facing and using ½ in. seam, sew the front pillow to the back, leaving a 3-4
in. gap for turning and filling. Clip corners and turn.
Use a large funnel to
pour the rice inside your pillow, stopping when it is ½ full. Pin and hand sew
the gap closed.
Heat your First Aid
Pillow for 1 min 30 sec to 2 min and apply.
You can make smaller
versions (3-4 in squares) for boo-boo pillows. Make several and keep a few in
the freezer for cold applications too.
For my brother's Christmas Gift, I knew it had to be avant garde. He is a
pretty cool guy but a typical gift is not going to cut it, mostly because he
has most things. He is a little off the cuff so something just as unique and
funny is what I needed for this year's gift. I immediately thought of the
moustache trend and how to incorporate it. Eventually, I stumbled across this
site and it was a "Eureka!" moment. I would make my own moustache pillowcases
using cotton and some ultrasuede. It was fun and easy; here's how to make your
own.
Materials:
2.5 yds lightweight
cotton (for 2 pillowcase or one complete moustache)
1 yd ultrasuede
1 yd Heat
n' Bond
1) Make your
pillowcases using lightweight cotton in a solid color. Pattern will detract
from the appliqué too much. You can use this pillowcase
pattern from our blog or my
pillow sham pattern.
2) Download and
print your Moustache pattern piece and trace onto the Heat n' Bond. Make sure
you flip the pattern piece before tracing the second moustache piece so they
are mirror images.
3) Iron
your Heat n' Bond onto the back of the ultrasuede and cut out pattern pieces.
4) Peel off the
paper backing of one moustache piece and line it up on your pillowcase along
the seam line not the opening of the pillow case. Tilt the center of the
moustache up a bit so it looks natural. Once you are satisfied with the
placement, iron it in place. Repeat for second pillow case.
5) Topstitch your
moustache pieces in place using coordinating thread.
This makes a great gift for a guy in
your life. You can try experimenting with different moustache fabrics but I
love the ultrasuede because it is warm and soft like a good Tom Selleck moustache.
You can use faux fur for a real Texas moustache or felt for a sophisticated New
York moustache.
