This year, for my 27th, I pushed the glossy, beautiful, corner-marked Nordstrom catalog to the side. I filed all my material focused ideas for investment pieces to the back of my mind and turned my attention to a different type of material. I’m sure my mom thought it was Christmas when I called and informed her I would REALLY (really really) like a…. sewing machine?! DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT?

See, my mom has been sewing my whole life and actually, most of hers. She was the one donning that one-of-a-kind perfectly handcrafted prom dress, ALL of our holiday outfits, unique Halloween costumes (Crayola orange crayon:)) and more recently, altered my bridesmaids dresse(S) and hemmed my work pants when I reluctantly decided to grow up. Memories of piecing together quilting squares and stuffing pillows with my mom and grandma are moments I will always cherish. What I once thought was just something to do, I now understand is a very useful a skill! My recent love for DIY projects, home design and textiles is an added bonus. Oh and since one of my ’30 before 30′ consists of making a piece of clothing, I thought I better finally take my 6-month old sewing machine out of the box and see if it really is like riding a bike….

My first step was to find the perfect fabric. City Crafts in Dallas had too many options.

After choosing the perfect playful pattern with an of-the-moment linen back, I decided to take my pillow making process one step further and create muslin pillow forms. This will allow me to remove the covers and change out the slips when trends and tastes change. [Good Tip and easy to do! Just make sure to grab a 12' zipper to close the covers!] You’ll need a little over a yard of muslin for each pillow form and extra soft poly-fil (typically $5 for a TON) to stuff.

For the actual pillow covers, I made 18×18 in. squares. Be sure to pin the two pieces of fabric together (both inside out!) in order to keep your lines while running the machine over them.

After assembling the cover and positioning the zipper, the pillow form is stuffed inside and zipped shut!

Now all I need is a glass of vino and a good book….

xoxo kMass