Sum of their Stories

Saturday, 12 November 2016

10 DIY Monogram Cushion Tutorials

November 12, 2016

Monogramed Cushions or pillows are a bit of a home decor classic. If you have basic sewing skills it's not difficult to have a go at making them yourself.

I realised a few weeks back that I'd missed sharing the gift I made for the final wedding in our 'summer of weddings'. If you're curious I shared the gifts I'd made for the other weddings here, here and here.

I wanted to make something classy and unfussy for this couple as that suits their style but still wanted it to be personal for them. After some deliberation and time on pinterest searching for inspiration I took a plain gold shop bought velvet cushion cover and embroidered the couples initials in a very simple back stitch.

I found this plain gold cushion in TK Maxx and fell in love with the velvet. A plainer fabric would actually have been easier to stitch on but the velvet has a beautiful sheen and texture which I do love.

I also chose an embroidery thread the same colour as the fabric so the embroidery is subtle, you could easily do a contrast for a bolder effect.

To make a Simple Initials Embroidered Cushion you will need:

A cushion cover and insert
Embroidery thread
Computer, printer, paper
Needle, pins, scissors

First go onto the computer and select a font you like. Play around with different ones you computer has, I used the font "Small Roundhand" for the N and & but I didn't like the E in that font, it was one of those backward 3's so I did the E in "Apple Chancery". If your PC doesn't have lots of great fonts you can use Picmonkey in design mode as they have lots of cute ones.

Print out the initials in the size you want, this will depend on your cushion cover size of course. You may have to print it a few times until you get the size right.

Trim the paper close to the initials then pin the wherever you want them on the cushion. I did mine centrally but yours could be anywhere you like. Use loads of pins so it doesn't slide about.

Using 2 strands of embroidery thread stitch the initials in backstitch going through both the paper and the fabric.

When you are done, gently pull the paper away. I found it easiest to tear the paper as close as I could to the stitching first then the little bits just pull out easily with your finger nails or tweezers.

Simple as that! You can see in my photo above that I had trimmed away the paper around the letters as I finished each one, that is not necessary, I was just checking it had worked!
All these photos are taken on an angle as that shows the embroidery better, with the nap of the velvet it was hard to get the initials to show up nicely on a photo.

If my velvet initials cushion doesn't take your fancy or suit your style how about some of these beautiful DIY monogram cushions and pillows.

This beautiful cushion was made by Robyn from The Farmer's Nest, it's another done on a ready made cover using a super simple embroidery stitch.

I love this twirly font Trisha from The Sweet Survival chose for this felt monogram pillow, so classy.

Here is another felt letter but with a completely different look. So cute and modern. It's from How Does She and has a great step by step tutorial.

This cover from Beneath my Heart has a stencilled monogram. The tutorial includes a great set of instructions of making the cover, including that pretty contrast piping.

Another stencilled idea from Merrick's Art, so simple, so effective.

If more colour is your thing, how about this beauty from Yes Spaces. It's made using a traditional machine applique method and a ready made plain cover. It would be a great way to use up fabric scraps.

This is a little bit different, a letter shaped cushion. What a fun idea from Classy Clutter.

I do love a good "crafting with buttons" project and this one from It all Started with Paint, is just lovely.

This beautiful letter made from fabric rosettes is so pretty. Kaitlyn from The Birds Nest used a liquid stitch glue so this is a "no sew" option, but of course you could make a "sew" version if you prefer!

Whether you call them cushions, pillows or something else entirely, hopefully you have found some letter and monogram inspiration here.

Funny how so many of these tutorials are for the letter B - 5 out of the 10 - I wonder why that is?

You might also be interested in:

Adipose Cushion

Making Toys from Kids Drawings

Cornishware Ruffle Tote

Running Stitch Embroidered Cushion Cover

I'll be linking up at these great link parties

Papercut Christmas Tree Picture

November 05, 2016

Make a unique piece of Christmas art for your home with paper and a craft knife. It's not especially difficult, simple drawing skills and then quite a lot of patience is all that's needed!

I made this picture for our home last year but it was too late to share it with you then as it was almost Christmas day itself by the time I finally finished it!
If you'd like to make a papercut like this for your home or as a gift, I would suggest starting it now.
Papercutting is a lovely, almost magically craft. It's very soothing to do, quite meditative but one thing it is not is quick!

To make your own picture you will need:

A frame
Paper or thin card to fit your frame, one in your main colour and one to go behind.
Scrap paper to practice your design
A soft pencil
A craft knife and spare blades. I have an xacto knife and used 3 blades on this picture.
A cutting mat

First you need a design. I sketched a few on scrap paper.

These are just sketched ideas, they need developing into proper designs, but they might spark your imagination.

Keep it fairly simple, remember the more complicated the design is the longer it will take to cut out. All your lines must touch another line, or when you cut big sections will just fall out.

Where you have a line, that is what will be left behind. Consider using little joining lines if necessary.

That's why I introduced the stars and baubles into my swirly design, once I was drawing in the large scale I wanted to join swirls in an interesting way, add another design element.

Once you have decided what you are doing trim your paper or thin card to fit your frame.

I used a 110gsm card, this is a little it thicker than I would normally use for a papercut but it was all I could get in the large size I wanted. The thicker the paper the harder it is to cut and the more blades you will get through.

Now draw you design onto the back of the paper using your soft pencil. I would recommend measuring from the top bottom and sides just to make sure it is central. Use a ruler for straight lines and don't press too hard, you want to rub it out if you go wrong or change you mind.

Take your time on this step, make sure you are happy before you start cutting. pencil lines are temporary, knife cuts are permanent!

Now you just need to cut it out.
Choose a starting point and just work from there. You are cutting either side of the lines you have drawn - to remove the little shapes that are formed between the lines.

Papercut Christmas Tree Picture in progress

In real life my pencil lines were not so bold. I could see them easily but the paper has a slight sheen so they didn't show up on the photo. I've done a little post production editing just so you can see them.

As you can see from my close up my papercutting is not awesome. The curves are not completely smooth. I'm ok with that. The finished picture is exactly what I hoped for and no one is looking at it with a microscope.

The thing I love most about papercutting is how the design appears like magic. It's hard to stop yourself from regularly picking up your work, turning it over and holding it up to the light. It just looks so good as it gradually appears.

When all the paper cutting is done, I think you should turn your beautiful work of art over and spend at least 10 minutes admiring it!

All the pencil marks are on the wrong side of the paper so under NO circumstances should you try to rub them out when you are finished. It's just not worth it, no need at all and you risk ripping your papercut. I've done it, it was awful, just don't do it!

Pop it in the frame with a contrast paper behind and you are done.

I chose the red paper for my papercut but I think it would look good on white paper with a colour behind it too. Maybe even a pattern behind if your paper cut in very simple and have large pieces removed.

I started this last year on 25th November and did it little and often, whilst the dinner was in the oven etc. I finished on 17th December (thank you Instagram for the dates, I shared a little of the process there last year)

I'm so pleased with how this papercut turned out, so I'm really looking forward to getting it out again in a few weeks (no Christmas decorating here till December) One day I might paint this frame but I'm not sure if it should be gold or silver. Gold would be nice in our living room, but silver would be better in the dining room (which is where it is in these photos)

What do you think?

You might also be interested in:

Sequin Christmas Tree

Framed Christmas Tree Print

Wooden Christmas Gift Tags

Christmas Pudding Chocolate Buttons

I'll be linking up at these great link parties, where you can find loads of lovely ideas.

31 Handmade Christmas Ornaments 2016

November 01, 2016

Now is the perfect time to start planning for any Christmas decorations you might want to make this year. Just enough time to find inspiration, get your supplies together and start making. Everything will be dry/finished when you need them in December!

Talking of finding inspiration, October saw the 31 days of Handmade Christmas Ornaments blog hop back for another year. A fantastic collection of 31 Christmas ornament ideas from 31 different bloggers. Such diverse projects, from really traditional to super modern. I really think there is something for everyone here.