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Special Monday Guest: Jessica from Dear Emmeline

September 17, 2012 by Cassie 30 Comments

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Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We survived the weekend without Daddy here.  Saturday we headed to the firehall breakfast where Emmy ate a pig’s worth in bacon (ironic since I don’t eat pork), and Sawyer ate a healthy stack of pancakes and syrup and we socialized with neighbors.  After that we headed to the soccer field for Emmy’s game.  You may recall last week was traumatic due to a gnat flying into her eye.  But this week…..  she loved it! No bugs bothered her this time, and with her big brother cheering her on from the sidelines, she was smiling the entire game.

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What a relief!  After the game she had a birthday party to attend, and after said party I enjoyed playing with her favors….

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He he.  I couldn’t resist!

Sunday the kids had what I would consider the highlight of their weekend.  Our awesome neighbor who happens to own much of the land around us, took me and the kids for a ride on his gator, which is a lower tractor with a wagon, if you are not familiar with country rides.  It stays a little lower to the ground than a regular tractor so it can travel the hills well.  We headed down a large hill where we reached our destination…. a field full of brown corn!  What were we doing there?

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We were cutting corn stalks for my porch.  My awesome neighbor even helped me cut them to size and tie them to my columns.   Here is a little sneak peek of my Fall porch which I shared on Instagram.

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We had lots of extra and another neighbor had mentioned to me that she means to do the same thing each year and it never happens.  She had a rough week… tragically, her young 26 year old nephew passed away.  I thought it would be fun to surprise her and go ahead and put them on her porch.  We thought she wasn’t home and got to work.  We had one bunch tied up when her front door opened and she walked out… I just looked at her and said “Surprise!”  We had a good laugh about being crashed on our surprise, but it still felt good to do something nice for her- she is the type of person who is always doing things for others and truly deserves it.  We are truly blessed here with the best neighbors surrounding us.

We ended the day with friends, who came over for some Halloween kid crafting (Halloween lanterns) and a ghost pancake dinner!  Hopefully I will have pictures to share soon.  So, we survived and filled our weekend with fun activities!

Today, I have a special guest for you!  OK, so if I am going to be honest here, my disorganization led me to double booking a Friday guest, so sweet Jessica allowed me to switch her day to today.  Thank you, Jessica!

Jessica from Dear Emmeline is one talented and sweet lady!  She is also really young and cute…. trust me.  We were able to spend some time together in person and I felt like the old matronly lady.  Anyhow, Jessica’s blog is loaded with beautiful furniture makeovers as well as lovely decorating ideas. Some of my favorite furniture makeovers are….

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Blue Card Catalog Vanity:

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and of course, her woodland dresser:

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What did I tell you?  She is talented! And her talents reach far beyond furniture…. today Jessica is going to share a very cool sewing project with you.

Hello Primitive and Proper readers!  I’m Jessica and I blog over at Dear Emmeline.  I am so honored that Cassie invited me to be here with you all today.  If you’ve visited my blog you know that it is chock full of furniture projects like my daughter’s Silhouette Dresser. 

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Instead of sharing another furniture project with you I decided to brush up my sewing skills and show you how to make your very own Origami Pillow!

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I was inspired by this felt pillow.



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via One King’s Lane

I thought the origami style folds wold look great made to look like a mini quilt.  I am in the process of making a quilt out of vintage sheets for my daughter’s room and I thought this would be the perfect complement.  So I set to work coming up with a pattern (ie math equation) to find out the size of squares I needed to replicate this look.  Long story short I ended up using the Pythagorean theorem and have made a chart to make the process of determining your square sizes as easy as possible.

I chose to make my pillow 7 squares x 7 squares totaling 16inches x 16 inches.

To determine the size of each finished square I divided 16 inches/7 squares= 2.3 inches.

I’ll spare you the details of why the formula actually works but to determine the size square to cut you need to divide (your final square size) by the square root of 2 (1.4) and then multiply by 2.

In this case:
2.3 inches/1.4=1.64 x 2=3.3 inches

So for my 16×16 front with 7 rows of 7 squares I need to cut 49 3.3″ squares.

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Now that we know what size pieces we need to cut let’s get started!

Materials:
fabric (I used vintage sheets)
wool felt
scissors
LOTS of straight pins
cutting mat and ruler
sewing machine
pillow form

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1.  Cut the predetermined size and number of squares in BOTH felt and fabric. Layer one piece of felt with one piece of fabric (bright side out).

2.  Cut a front piece 2 inches larger than your desired front size.  Measure and mark the center horizontal and vertical lines.

3.  Lay first square set in center with points lining up to the center lines.

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4.  Fold points in to center and pin down vertically and horizontally.  You should now see the front of your vintage fabric square.

5.  Pin squares down along the vertical and horizontal lines.

6.  When finished you should have 7 rows each with seven squares. (Don’t make the mistake that I did and cut your front piece too small! :0  I had to cut a second front and repin all of the squares.)

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7.  Cut 2 pieces to create your envelope pillow back.  I used the sheet hem so I wouldn’t have to sew my own hem for each half.  Make sure each piece is the same width as the pillow front and that the two pieces overlap by several inches.  My pieces were approximately 18 inches wide x 11 inches tall.

8.  Starting at the top right corner sew straight down the first column of 7 squares.  Remove the vertical pins as you go.  I used the pin head to hold down the top of the bottom fold to keep the fabric from buckling (see image). 

9.  Sew each column vertically from top to bottom moving from the right to the left.  When finished with the vertical stitches rotate your pillow so the horizontal pins are now vertical and repeat the same process.

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10.  Layer your finished pillow front face up and back pieces face down.

11.  Pin all the way around right along the edge of the felt and fabric squares.

12.  Sew just outside of the felt and fabric squares.  Trim off any excess fabric including the fabric at the corners so the case opens easily and the corners lay flat.

Flip, stuff, and you’re ready to display!

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All this week I will be sharing more pillow ideas and tutorials in my first ever Pillowpalooza. I will be wrapping up the week by giving away one of the pillow covers featured.  I would love for you to pop over and join the party!

Thank you, so much, Jessica!

PS- The Goose Creek Candle giveaway winner is Annette!  I have emailed you and you have til tonight to contact me.  Thanks!

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Comments

  1. Lisa at Shine Your Light says

    September 17, 2012 at 11:38 am

    Origami pillow? I never heard of such a thing and it’s blowing my socks off. That pillow is so cool, looks like something from Anthropologie with it’s vintage fabric. So pretty!

    Reply
  2. Shelley {Crazy Wonderful} says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    Wow! That is one impressive pillow!!!

    Reply
  3. Carmel @ Our Fifth House says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    Looks like you had a fun weekend! My hub was out of town all weekend too. We stayed busy doing a whole lot of nothing – my favorite kind of weekend! Your porch looks so so great! This post makes me wish I knew how to sew!

    Reply
  4. Cathy Wall says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    What a sweet and thoughtful thing to do for your neighbor! Sounds like your week-end was chock-full! Loving Jessica’s pillow!

    Reply
  5. The Bold Abode says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:52 pm

    Oh, how much fun!!! I’ve never even thought of putting corn stalks on the porch columns…how super cool!

    And I’m in awe of anyone with the much patience with sewing! It’s a very cool pillow…

    Reply
  6. pam {simple details} says

    September 17, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    What a fun and festive weekend, I’m sure your neighbor will enjoy your thoughtfulness every time she walks by her cornstalks! And, Jessica – speechless at that pillow!!

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  7. Janel from NellieBellie says

    September 17, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    Love her work!! Her furniture is so full of whimsy. She is one talented lady!! Jessica, you are a talent!! Great job on the pillow!

    Reply
  8. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

    September 17, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Sounds like a fun weekend! And you with the party favors gave me a good chuckle. 🙂
    Gosh that pillow is gorgeous!! I swoon over all of her projects!!

    Reply
  9. Dana Frieling says

    September 17, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    When can I expect you to come decorate my porch? 😉 Love that you did this for your neighbor…so kind! Cool pillow, Jessica.

    Reply
  10. Kelly says

    September 17, 2012 at 2:44 pm

    The pillow is AWESOME.

    And I’m loving the corn-on-the-column. You’re invited to crash-decorate my house anytime.

    Reply
  11. Good Time Charlie says

    September 17, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    The corn stalks on the column is fantastic! I would never have thought to do that.

    That Dear Emmeline is one amazingly talented gal. The pillows are beautiful. I will just admire them on my screen, that requires far more patience than I currently have!

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  12. Dear Emmeline says

    September 17, 2012 at 4:50 pm

    🙂 Thanks ladies! It would definitely be a less tedious project if done in just felt instead of the felt and sheet layers! If you have a sewing machine, you could do it! This was my first ever pillow, 2nd ever solo sewing project (besides 4 curtain panels). The hard work was the math and I did that for you! Now I want to see some pillows!! Send me a pic if you decide to make one! 🙂

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  13. Dear Emmeline says

    September 17, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    I might add the 7×7 rows was a bit ambitious! I can’t believe the nspiration pillow was 9×9! If I did it again I would probably go 5×5 which would cut the number of squares to cut, pin, and sew in half!

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  14. Lisa @ Turning Tables says

    September 17, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    That is crazy beautiful. 🙂

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  15. Ali Richardson says

    September 17, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    WOWZA! That looks like a ton of work. I am WAY to scared of my sewing machine to try anything like that. Looks great!
    I love your Fall porch and I’m glad the gnats let Emmy enjoy Soccer. XOXO

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  16. Dear Emmeline says

    September 17, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    Ali, forcing myself to do this pillow helped me get over my fear of my sewing machine! 😉 I have always wanted to design and make sewn products (clothes, purses, etc) but have had very little actual sewing machine experience! Convince yourself to do it, do it, be frustrated if you must, and have the pillow you wanted in the end! I just might have convinced myself to try some clothes next!

    Reply
  17. Stacey says

    September 17, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Jessica is a favorite of mine – she’s awesome! So happy to see you featured her!
    STacey of Embracing Change

    Reply
  18. Bella says

    September 17, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    Corn fields are spooky…one too many viewings of Children of the Corn 🙂 I do love the corn husk columns though! And you are an awesome neighbor.

    That pillow is amazing! Love your colorful version, the other is so plain.

    Reply
  19. Megan says

    September 17, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    I am SO glad Emmy is liking it! Your porch looks so cute and fall-ish, I still have a pink tulle wreath on mine, but I’m planning a halloween intervention very very soon 🙂 I adore that pillow, man I wish I was good {or patient} enough to make that. I guess that’s why I’m glad I have a mom who can make it for me 🙂

    Reply
  20. Sarah @ Modern Country Style says

    September 17, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    Hi Cassie,

    What a great guest post. I love that Origami cushion – how cool is that?!
    I love the colours and texture of it – and it actually looks very doable too – brilliant all round!

    Sarahx

    Reply
  21. Maury @ Life on Mars says

    September 17, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Wow… your porch is awesome and makes mine feel incredibly inadequate :-).

    Reply
  22. Rebecca says

    September 18, 2012 at 1:21 am

    Gorgeous pillow Jessica!

    And, Cassie, I’m so glad to see you have your fall decorations up! We did that this weekend and my husband thinks it was too early. boooooo on him!

    Reply
  23. The Far Fifty says

    September 18, 2012 at 1:41 am

    Dig your shades! I wished I lived in your ‘hood. That pillow rocks my world, great job Jessica!

    Reply
  24. DecorandtheDog says

    September 18, 2012 at 1:48 am

    Emmy kills me. Glad soccer was less traumatic this week.

    That pillow is stunning. As are your new glasses.

    Reply
  25. Allison says

    September 18, 2012 at 2:46 am

    You are such a good neighbor Cassie! That was so sweet that you decorated her porch! Your porch looks so festive. How fun! You are fortunate to have fantastic neighbors. It makes such a difference. Love the photo of Sawyer and Emmy in the cornfield. That origami pillow is a true work of art and labor of love!

    Reply
  26. Eclectically Vintage says

    September 19, 2012 at 3:06 am

    I am in love with Jessica’s woodland dresser! And that origami pillow is amazing!
    Kelly

    Reply
  27. Little Susie Home Maker says

    September 21, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    yes! This is such a pretty quilt top look alike and textured! I am really loving this idea for sure! Pillow Palooza? I want to see that , too! I just found your blog and am following now. Looks like lots of fun.
    Blessings,
    Susie

    Reply
  28. kitblu says

    September 24, 2012 at 1:56 am

    Something about this reminds me of attic windows. I think I will hae to make such a quilt and add origami pillows.

    Reply
  29. Judy says

    September 27, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    What a cool pillow. I’ve never seen one like this. I must try this.

    Reply
  30. amomwithnails says

    September 29, 2012 at 3:46 am

    I can’t wait to run out and get some felt! This is adorable, and I would never have figured it out without your great instructions. I hope to copy it one day…you’ll get all the credit though!

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.  We all get one chance at this life, and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
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Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

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