DIY Pillow from Placemat

So I have a confession to make. I am NOT a seamstress! I own a sewing machine that I don't really know how to use and is just taking up space. When I found http://www.thenester.com/ and her No sew Window Mistreatments it was like a beam of light came down from Heaven and shone on my drab uncovered windows! Ok but enough about that for now...thats another post...

I was perusing one of my fave blogs the other day www.prudentbaby.com and she had an awesome tutorial for making an easy pillow out of a placemat! I was amazed! The only requirement of the placemat is that its double sided (meaning it has at least two layers of fabric and is able to be opened). Well on one of my many Target trips I came across these adorable placemats for only 1.99 each!

 

I snatched them up and brought them home to make these easy pillows. Here's what you need....

~Placemat

~Seam ripper (or a razor blade to separate the seam)

~Needle and thread in coordinating color...i used black since I was stitching it around where the black piping was.

~Batting

~Straight pins

All you do is pick a spot in one of the corners that you want to open it and use your seam ripper to make a small opening (just big enough to squeeze your hand inside). Once thats done you stuff the batting in the opening making sure you get extra down in the corners and making sure its nice and fluffy. I had a couple of old back cushions for a couch I no longer have that had some great fluffy batting so I used that. Once you stuff it all the way you pin the opening closed with straight pins and then hand stitch it closed making sure to make the stitches small and even so it blends with the rest of the stitching. This took me about an hour to complete (because I'm a sucky seamstress like I mentioned) but the result was awesome! Target or Crate and Barrel would sell this for 30.00 or so and I made it with a 1.99 placemat and re-used stuffing! I'm super pleased with it and need to find the time to do the other one. lol.