It's pillow time again!

Okay, time for a little updating on my patio furniture.  Gotta get ready for a slew of young adults (14 of them to be exact) to come for the fourth!

Last year I found some great orange umbrellas (just the right color of orange.....not UT orange) sorry all you Tennessee fans but I just can't stand handle that color.

Anyway, I bought two of em last year at Restoration Hardware outlet.  Price? 75.00 smackers each!  not bad!

I started getting this orange obsession last year and it has continued on to this year. I want it all over my house.

For you designer types. FYI, orange is IN.  And it looks amazing with turquoise, green, grey any color you wanna put it with. Not so much with navy.........sorry Beth (just can't do Auburn colors either!)

See how good it looks on a parrot! (well he's sportin a little gold too)

Anyway again, my patio furniture needed a little lift.  I have searched the world over for some fabric to go with the umbrellas.  There are a lot of colors of orange.  Again, not to offend you Tennessee fans. I'm just sayin........

I felt like a few neck pillows were in order.

I finally found this fabulousa outdoor fabric at Forsythes in Atlanta yesterday and just couldn't wait to get to work. oh, and it was only 10.00 a yard!!!

and....remember my pillow tutorial?  well now I'm gonna show you how to make a pillow with covered cording...and tabs to hold those pillows on the chairs.  Not as easy as pre-made cording but still pretty easy!

Sneak preview

Here we go.  First.

Here's the before pic of the chaise lounge chairs and the umbrella that I wanna update. They're lookin pretty rough and also in need of a good cleaning.

Don't mind the monstrosity of the house going up next to us, partially blocking my sunrise view.

The people building this home are about 70 years old....seriously folks

So...down to the sewing dungeon as I like to refer to my sewing room.

This tutorial is not for the faint of heart.  You really need to have a little sewing experience to experience this experience.

First, I chose a 12 x 22 lumbar pillow.  Down of course.

Cut the fabric 1" larger than the pillow.

Then cut the fabric for the cording.  I chose 1/2" cording and I always cut my fabric for the cording on the bias. For this cording I cut it 2" wide and added 2" to the length

then I cut the strips for tabs to attach to the back of the chairs.  I cut them 3" wide and 12" long.

to sew the bias strips pin right sides together at a 90 degree angle and make a diagonal seam

this is the finished look of the bias strip

Wrap the bias strip over the cording, pin and sew with a zipper foot getting as close to the cording as possible

now....pin the cording all around the edge of the front of the pillow fabric.  Be sure to clip the corners of the cording for a smooth sewing transition.  Tricky part.  when you get back to where you started, clip the cording so that it matches the point where you started.  Leave about an inch and a half of fabric on that part.  This will be turned under and overlapped on the meeting cording.  Hope this makes more sense than it sounds!

this is what it looks like completely pinned

then sew around using a zipper foot getting close to the cording

Next, the tabs.

Turn long sides in half and sew the top and the side

then turn with a spiffy turner!

press the tabs.  now don't forget you need 4 tabs per pillow.  I'm making 4 pillows so of course I needed 16 tabs.

attach the tabs 4 1/2" from the outter edge of the top of the pillow

Then sew the front of the pillow to the back being careful not to catch the tabs

Turn the pillow right side out and press

Now. Attach velcro to the back side of one tab and the front side of the other and stitch

Almost forgot!!! You need to leave an opening for the pillow to be inserted OOPS!

stuff that pillow right in there and sew the opening closed!

Finished product

I think now I'm going to cover the cushions in the same fabric.  oh,,,,,and maybe I am a Vols fan after all.....the oranges don't match. They do however compliment each other and give my furniture a nice little punch! 

another shot of my mismatched orange! oh well!

and finally!

new pillows for Callen!
dang, I feel like a pillow factory

use the same tutorial as above (of course) minus the tabs!

enjoy sewing Chickies!