Sew Scary

I had three practically-perfect accent pillows adorning my living room sectional for the past several years.

But, thanks to the four messes in my life (two minis, one major & one four-footed) my nest is constantly under siege (Nutella fingers, mud-encrusted sneaker, milk dribbles, rain-soaked pooches, butt ground-in cookie crumbs, fruit-scented markers, boogies & barf . . . after that list I bet you're just dying for an invite to my house!) and one day I realized those poor, defenseless pillows had morphed from "practically perfect" to "decorating disgraces".

For the past few months I have squandered countless hours searching online and in-person - Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Target, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods - for reasonably-priced replacements.

Sure, I found options, but I wasn't willing to make a major pillow expenditure that would send me flying into a tither every time one of my messes got near the sofa. 

Sure, the pillow's matching curtains (from our former home & no longer in use) were tucked away in my attic, but I cringed just considering what it might cost to pay someone to transform them. 

Then Anna, over at Take the Side Street, inspired me . . .

Source: takethesidestreet.com via Lollie on Pinterest

Maybe it was finally time to open that sewing machine the MIL gave me oh-so-many years ago? 

The poor contraption has never seen the light of day! It's still in its original box, collecting dust in my basement.

So last week it made the long journey upstairs . . . I even unpacked it!

I'm more than a bit daunted by all the tiny bits & bobbins, and mega manual!

A bit of online searching & I discovered Crate & Barrel has very reasonably-priced feather/down pillow inserts in a variety of sizes.

I settled on 16", 18" & 20" squares, and two 18"x12".

I even nabbed a can of Scotchguard spray at the local hardware store in the vain hope of "mess-proofing" this next generation of pillows.

Guess there's no more procrastinating . . . it's time to get measuring, cutting, spraying, pinning and sewing . . . yikes! 

Pray for me, fair readers!

I haven't touched a sewing machine since high school, when my sew-talented Grand attempted to share her gift with me.  

FYI - I never finished a single project, but I have high hopes for this venture.