blog swap {ashley from cherished bliss}

I'm so excited to have Ashley over today! 
What she doesn't tell you is that she is in the wild card finale round for
 So You Think You're Crafty. 
I know...so exciting!  So, pop over {HERE} and vote for Ashley! :)
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Hi Everyone! I'm Ashley from Cherished Bliss,

and I am SO excited to be over here at Ginger Snap Crafts!

Don't forget to head on over to my blog today and check out Ginger's awesome-ness!

I am a wife to the most wonderful man and a mommy to two adorable children!

I love to craft, sew, blog, and anything with my family! They are my inspiration : )

           

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Today I am going to show you how to make this floor pillow.

First, I have to tell you why I wanted to make this.
I'm from Texas and well, its somewhere around 200 107 degrees here right now,
so I let my otherwise normally outdoor dog inside.
He has a LOT of hair, so much that I could make puppies from the hair he sheds.
It's gross and I hate that he is inside so much
(mainly because I don't want to vacuum 3 times a day).
Anyways.. my children seem to think Stewart's (dog) bed is their playground,
which leads to hair all over them (I hate this so much!).
and so it I made them their own "dog" beds : )

  
Supplies
Home Decor Fabric
Muslin, or other cheap fabric (for pillow form)
coordinating thread
2 pkgs piping
poly fil
zipper
scissors
sewing machine

1. Cut out all your fabric pieces.
You will need:
2 - 19"x 19" squares (top and bottom)
3 - 19" x 7" rectangles (3 sides)
2 19" x 4" rectangles (zipper side)
4 - (handles)

2. The Handles
First, pin the raw edges of piping to the right side of the fabric you cut out for the handles.
 Do this on both edges of two pieces.

Using your zipper foot, sew along the piping. 
Then, put your other two pieces on top of each of these, right sides together and pin.
Turn over (so you are sewing on the back of the piece with the piping)
and sew along the seam from the piping.

Turn your tube right side out, fold in the edges and stitch closed.

Now, we are going to attach the handles to the sides of the floor pillow.
Center, the hand on one of the 19" x 7" pieces.
Stitch a box with and "X" in it, double stitch to make sure it is sturdy.

Do this again on another "side" piece. Then set those aside.

3. Insert a zipper
on the two 19" x 4" pieces of fabric using my zipper insertion instructions here
Now set that aside (all your side pieces are finished).

4. Piping
To add the piping around the edges you will pin it all the way
around your 19"x19" squares on the RIGHT side of the fabric,
matching up the raw edges just like on the handles.
Then sew it down using your zipper foot. Do this to both the top and bottom pieces.

5. The Sides
Now, you are going to attach the side panels to the top panel. Make sure the two pieces we attached the handles to are opposite each other : ) Line up your side panel right sides together with your square. and sew along the stitching from when you attached your piping. This makes sure you have a very clean edge with your piping!

Once you are done with all the sides, it will look like this!

6. Forming the box
Now you will match up the short sides and sew them up.
Make sure you don't sew onto the top panel,
but get close enough to close it up.
This is what it looks like.

7. The bottom piece
Now take your other 19" x19" square and line up the edges, and sew it up following your stitch line from the piping. When you are done, you will have a box. HINT: Make sure you unzip your zipper BEFORE you sew it all up so that you don't have to wiggle it open to turn it right side out : ) Lesson learned!

8. The Pillow Form
To make the pillow insert, I cut all the same pieces out except I did for identical side panels since we won't need a zipper. Follow the same instructions as above, you just don't have to worry about piping! Don't forget to leave one edge up to turn and stuff. The sew up your hole and now you have a pillow insert!

9. Insert the Pillow and ENJOY!
Your kiddos can sit on them, fly on them, drive them, drag them, and more than likely throw them : )
My son already loves his and carries drags it all over the house. Now it's time to make one for the princess!

A big thank you to Ginger for having me over at her wonderful blog! I had so much fun.
I would love to see you at my weekly link party, Craft and Tell, every Tuesday!

 

So come on over : )!! 

Such a cute idea!

Thanks so much for sharing, Ashley!