sewing

Pillow Futon Easy Sewing Tutorial

Create this Pillow Futon out of pillows and pillowcases. It’s perfect for sleepovers or just relaxing on.

At the beginning of this year, we switched around to rooms in our house. What used to be our sewing room in the basement is now my son’s room. Now my daughter and I have a room to use for sewing and crafts on the main level of the house. My daughter loves to hang out in this room and do her homework and relax. I love how this simple craft has inspired my daughter to sew and do her homework!

She’s been asking for something to lay on in this room. Being that I am frugal and creative-minded, I came up with this pillow futon. This easy sewing tutorial is perfect for beginners because it is just straight stitching.

Pillow Futon Tutorial

Supplies

4-7 pillows
Same number of pillowcases

The pillowcases will have their side seems so together so take this into consideration when buying pillowcases and pillows. We decided that 6 was the perfect length for my daughter to use.

Directions for the Pillow Futon

Pin two pillowcases together along the side seam.

Sew the sides together.

Repeat this step until all your pillowcases are sewn together. Make sure the opening faces the same way.

Stuff the pillows inside the pillowcases and it is ready for use.

My daughter did the sewing on this project. She immediately jumped on it and then the dog joined her.

My daughter asked if she could have a sleepover this weekend so that someone can sleep on it. She plans on laying on it to do her homework in the middle of the sewing room.

This post is brought to you by Dream Big Podcast. Have you heard of it? It is a cute podcast co-hosted by 8-year old Eva Karpman and her mother, Olga. These podcasts encourage kids to pursue their passions in life. My daughter and I like to listen to the podcasts together because they interview some really cool people who have inspiring stories to tell. You should check out Dream Big and listen to precocious Eva!

How easy and fun is this pillow futon?

More Projects Tweens will Love

Beach Towel Seat Covers & Hand Towel Curtains

Protect your chairs with beach towel seat covers. Continue the beach theme with hand towel curtains.

Last month we vacation in Florida for spring break. We stayed in a condo that we rented on Perdido Key Bay. This condominium had great decorations including beach towel seat covers and hand towel curtains.

We like to go to the Gulf for spring break. Since I am so frugal, we usually rent a lower budget condo. This often means a very small space with tacky beach decor. This year we decided to rent a larger place bayside for about the same price. It was a much larger place, which allowed our daughter to bring a friend. The rental turned out to be nice.

This condominium was in the Innerarity Point Townhouse complex. Year-round residents, as opposed to renters, occupy most of the townhouses, so everything well kept up. I think this is why the owners of this condominium took the time and expense to make the place really nice.

The places we usually stay in have old rattan furniture that look like thrift store castoffs, but this residence had quality furniture and decorations. I should have gotten pictures of the whole place because it is very well decorated.

In addition to the unique beach and nautical decor, I was struck by two things the owners created using towels. One was seat cushion covers made with beach towels and the other was bathroom curtains made from hand towels.

Hand Towel Curtains

The hand towel curtains are super easy to make. Just fold down the top edge of the towel and inch or two depending on the size of your towel rod. Then stitch along the bottom edge of the folded part to form the curtain rod casing. Hang the curtain rod at the proper height so that the bottom edge of the curtain hits the bottom of the window. This bathroom had two hand towels to cover the window.

Beach Towel Seat Covers

The kitchen and dining area of the condominium had high-quality rattan chairs and stools that came with light colored pads. These pads were protected with slipcovers made from beach towels.

Lay the seat cover down on a beach towel folded in half. Cut around the seat cushion giving one to two inches around the edge. With right sides together, stitch three of the edges together. Apply hook and loop tape to the back edge. Turn the cover inside out and put the cushion in. The ties from the cushion were folded into the edge of the slipcover.

Bright beach towels were used for these slipcovers, but they worked with the themed of the condominium. The hand towel curtains with the flip-flops design were probably the closest to tacky beach themed, but it was isolated to the half bath so it worked overall.

We will definitely rent this condominium again for future spring break trips. What sort of things have you created using towels?

Check out these other beach themed tutorials

DIY Personalized Guitar Strap

Create a personalized guitar strap by adding an embroidered strap cover.

I like to make gifts by hand. I enjoy making them and feel that it’s more meaningful for the recipient. I often make a gift that reflects the person I am giving it to. My son’s best friend is graduating and plans on a career in music. Since he’s a guitar player, I decided to make him a personalized guitar strap.

I went to a local music shop and purchased a guitar strap. I was hoping to be able to embroider right on the strap, but honestly, I wasn’t sure it would turn out. I didn’t want to mess it up or have the needle break on the webbing, so I decided to make a strap cover to go on it. I picked out a fabric that matched the strap and got to work.

Personalized Guitar Strap Cover

Supplies

Guitar strap
Matching fabric
Contrasting thread
Scrap of fleece
Hook & Loop tape
Sewing & Embroidery machines

Directions

Hoop the fabric for the cover.
Add the desired personalization.

Measure around the guitar strap to determine the size of the strap cover.
Cut the embroidered fabric and fleece to the size you just determined.
Sew right sides together, leaving an opening to turn the fabric.
Turn right sides out, making sure to pull the corners out.
Top stitch around the edge of the cover, which will also close the opening.
Cut hook & loop tape to match the length of the strap.
Sew the hook & loop tape in place.
Stitch a line down the folds of the fabric.
Place the strap cover on the guitar. The cover can be moved around or from strap to strap.

The graduate was very excited about the personalized guitar strap with his name on it. I hope that it encourages him in his music career.

How to Sew a Fitted Sheet from a Flat Sheet

See how easy it is to sew a fitted sheet out of a flat sheet.

We have a pop-up trailer with two bunk ends. I’ve been trying to find a fitted sheet that will fit on the thin RV mattresses. We do have memory foam toppers on each mattress, but it is still thinner than a regular bed. I’ve been doing some research and have discovered that jersey knit sheets fit well on RV mattresses. The trick is using a fitted sheet one size down from your RV bed. Our trailer has one king and one queen. That means I need a queen fitted jersey knit sheet and a full fitted jersey sheet. I searched high and low and can only find jersey sheets in a set. I’m too frugal to buy two sets, so I decided to sew a fitted sheet. I found a full size jersey sheet set on sale for under $11, which was an amazing bargain.

How to Sew a Fitted Sheet

Supplies

flat sheet
3/8″ elastic
measuring tape
scissors
sewing machine and thread

Directions

Determine the size you want your fitted sheet to be. I looked up sizes here.
Cut the flat sheet to the desired size. I only cut off the top edge of my flat sheet.
Cut out a 10-15″ square in each corner, depending on your desired size. I only cut 7″ for the RV mattress.
Serge or fold/hem any raw edges. I just had to serge the top edge.
With right sides facing each other, serge or stitch the square edges of a corner together. Repeat for the other three corners.
Starting along one side, attach the elastic with a zig-zag stitch, pulling the elastic tight as you go.
Continue attaching the elastic all the way around the sheet, tacking the end when you reach where you started.

That’s all it takes to sew a fitted sheet. The sheet fits nicely on our king bunk end. White is not the ideal color, but it was the only color on sale. I will be dying the sheets to match the throw pillows I am making for our trailer. You can see our trailer and read about our camping adventures at Let’s Camp S’more.

DIY Ice Pack Eye Mask

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.
All opinions are mine alone. #MoreMomentsWithExcedrin #CollectiveBias

Create this ice pack eye mask for sleeping when you have a headache.

I suffer from migraine headaches. Fortunately, they have become fewer and fewer as I age, but they are still debilitating. When I get one of these powerful headaches, I want quick relief. I get it from taking medication and laying down in a cool quiet place with my ice pack eye mask on. You too can make an eye mask that holds an ice pack using my tutorial below.

Eye Mask for Sleeping

It seems like migraine headaches come on at the worst times. There is no good time to have a headache, but it’s bad when they wreck those special moments of life. I remember when a headache tried to ruin my daughter’s first day of school. I was so nervous and stressed for her that a migraine headache was triggered the night before school started. My daughter was super excited and wanted me to see her new school and her classroom. That is something I wouldn’t miss for the world! I wasn’t sure if I would be able to drive her to school, let alone go to the school with the intense pain I was in. I took an Excedrin® Migraine, put on my ice pack eye mask wrap, and went to bed right away. Not only was I able to get some decent sleep, I escorted my daughter to Kindergarten the next morning. Excedrin® saved the day!

When I get a headache, I want to just hide in a cool, dark, quiet place. That isn’t always possible with our active household. That is why I created this eye mask head wrap. It’s a wide band that goes around my head. It covers my eyes to create darkness, my ears to create silence and a pocket to insert an ice pack to create coolness. It’s a functional sleep mask!

DIY Eye Mask Headache Wrap

Supplies

soft gel ice pack
dark fleece fabric
optional: contrasting fabric
hook-and-loop binding
measuring tape
scissors
pins
matching thread
sewing machine

Directions

Measure the circumference of your head to determine the length of your wrap. Add 4 inches to this measurement for overlap.
Measure the height and width of the ice pack. Add 1 inch to get the height measurement of your wrap.

Cut out two rectangles of fleece fabric using the measurements you came up with. My rectangles were 26″ x 6″. I used a dark fabric for the lining and a fun tie-dye print for the outside of the wrap.
Turn down the top edge of each rectangle 1/4″ and stitch.
Divide the measurement of the ice pack width in half to use for the pocket.
Pin the rectangles with wrong sides together. Fold the band in half long ways and measure out the sewing lines for the pocket using the previous measurement.
Stitch the top and lining of the wrap together along the edge from pocket opening to pocket opening.
Turn the eye mask wrap inside out and sew the side seams for the pockets.
Place the ice pack into the pocket and place around the head to determine hook-and-loop placement. It should not be loose enough to move, but not too tight that it put pressure on the head. Sew the hook-and-loop binding in place to finish the eye cover head wrap.
Here is the finished headache wrap.

Place the ice pack head wrap on whenever you have a headache or need to block out light and sound for good sleep.

This special mask is kept on hand for those times when I have a migraine. I also keep Excedrin® Migraine close by. Excedrin® Migraine starts to relieve migraine pain in 30 minutes and is #1 Neurologist Recommended OTC.* I trust Excedrin® for fast headache relief, and so should you. *Among OTC medicine for migraines. Symphony Health Solutions, 2016

You can find Excedrin® Migraine in the pain relief aisle at Walmart. Always use Excedrin® as directed on the packaging. You may not use Excedrin® Migraine if you are under 18 or pregnant. Consult your doctor if you think you are suffering from migraines.

Have you been diagnosed with migraine headaches? Visit the Meaningful Moments Social Hub to read about more times that Excedrin® saved the day.