{Osnaburg fabric...the poor man's linen}

My new obsession...Osnaburg fabric.  I've dubbed it the "poor man's linen." 

It's lovely, isn't it?  With it's nubby, imperfect, rough goodness. I want to use it for everything now and at $3.99/yard, I can, because it's so affordable!  I got a few yards at Michael's and I have a few projects in mind.

I made this "Osnaburg" linen pin board for my mom.  I plan on making another one for our kitchen, but I just haven't found the time, yet.

I used it to make euro shams for our guest bedroom.  I just sewed the sides together to make the pillow, and then made cute little ties out of some extra lengths of fabric to tie them closed.

Next, I think I am going to make pillows with it for our family room.  I love the idea of using the neutral fabric as a backdrop to other colorful pillows that can be easily changed to suit my mood.   And according to Justin, my mood changes often, so I may be switching pillows out a lot.

{Making Pillows}

I've been busy lately with swimming and soccer lessons, a trip to Memphis to see The New Kids on the Block and Back Street Boys (which was fantastic by the way, and I'm not even a huge fan, but just being with girlfriends was good enough) and Graceland, and visiting with family and friends during our summer vacation.  I feel like I have been working on this post for such a long time, but really it's just that I haven't had time to actually post it!

One thing I love...pillows!  But honestly, I hate the price.  I was flipping through a shelter catalog the other day, dreaming, and admiring all their pillow covers, but totally blown away by the price.  $29, $39, and even $99 for JUST THE COVER!  Crazy, right? I just cannot pay that kind of money for a pillow, that quite honestly, I will probably get sick of it within the year.  Not to mention the pillow inserts are anywhere from $10 (for a super small one) to $99. 

The solution is NAPKINS!  Yes, wonderful, 100% cotton napkins that you can pretty much find anywhere.  I recently picked some up from World Market and Pottery Barn's sale section for about $3 each.  I also just recently came across some napkins (as set of 8) at HomeGoods for about $10.  That's 4 pillow covers for $10!   And the result is fantastic...

Here are some napkins I picked up from World Market for $3 each...

And here is how to make a napkin pillow cover...
What you will need: 2 cloth napkins, scissors, pins, hem tape or a sewing machine

1. Cut one napkin in half.

2. Lay the napkins on each other, with outsides or patterned side (the purty side) towards the inside.  Place the sewn edges of the cut napkin to the inside and overlap (cut sides go out towards the seam, they will be sewn in place and never seen)...this will not be sewn and will be the envelop for your pillow insert.

3.  Sew all the way around the pillow.

4.  Turn right-side-out...and admire your new pillow cover.

If you don't like to sew...just follow the same instructions as above, but instead of sewing around the edges, use iron on hem tape (that you can find at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, WalMart, or JoAnn's).  Just follow the instructions of the brand you choose and iron away!

Pillow inserts can be found at JoAnn's (or any craft store).  I have found the best feather down inserts from IKEA, for about $7 each.  The regular polyester filled pillow inserts at Ikea are $3.99.  That is SO cheap!  Or you could just cover the pillows you already have.

FJÄDRAR Inner cushion $6.99

I hope you enjoy making pillows!  This makes it so easy, and affordable to change out pillows for the seasons, for the holidays, or for any reason you just want a change.  I love that I do not have to a whip stitch to close them, because of the envelope closure.  I also love the fact that I can take them off easily for laundering.  Plus, since the napkin edge is already hemmed, it's so easy and quick to put them together!

Here are a couple more I just sewed in a matter of minutes...

I think they are fantastic!  Try them, I think you will love the results.  Check out Censational Girl's post on the no sew version.  She's awesome, isn't she?



{Grain Sack Beauty - A How To}

I'm in love... 

Atlanta designer Jane Coslick said, "Surround yourself with stuff you LOVE, if you would marry it, buy it and bring it home."

I'm in love with grain sack fabrics...

Source: google.com via acharmingnest.com on Pinterest

Source: potterybarn.com via acharmingnest.com on Pinterest

...but the truth is, I can't afford everything that I love.  I love grain sack fabrics and if I could marry them, I would.  If I could buy them, vintage of course, I would, but honestly, I can't afford prices of $75/yard to make my own little "something" or $125 for an already made grain sack pillow.  Sorry, Jane...If I want it, I must make my own!

So, I did just that.  The secret? Painters drop cloths from the hardware store and green Frog Tape.

With a little fabric medium added to any craft paint color (to make it permanent and washable), a foam brush, and Frog Tape for crisp lines, I painted on my "grain sack lines" on squares of regular painters drop cloth canvas that I bought from Lowe's.  (Wash, dry, and iron before you use.)  Cut into squares for your pillow (or whatever shape you need).

Tape your design with Frog Tape.

Use a dry brush (dab off most of the paint on your paper plate). You don't want to use too much paint on your brush, because then it won't look like authentic grain sack...it will just look like a painted stripe.

Once the lines are dry, lift off the Frog Tape...to find beautiful crisp lines...

Place the "right" sides of your fabric together, and sew to make a pillow. If you don't know how to sew, use hem tape with a hot iron.

So, what do you think?  I had so much fun making these!  Check them out!

I'm no expert, but I thought they turned out pretty good.

Total cost...about $7.  I already had some drop cloth pieces to use (but they are about $10 at the hardware store), paint was about $1.25, fabric medium was about $1.50, and the tape was about $4.00.

I've linked...




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