Easy Peasy Cushion Covers

I made these cushion covers last night and I love 'em...I'm thinking I might get protective of them when it comes to sticky fingers!! I made the plain cushion at the back in 30 minutes (from start to finish) and the ones at the front took me just over 45 minutes to make....my mind is whizzing with all the possibilities for the ones at the front. :)

The cushions are made from just one long piece of fabric and as I haven't attempted zips yet so they are just envelope style.

Measure the width and height of the pillow you want to cover.  Mine measured 18" wide and 13" high, so for the width I multiplied it by two, added on 1" for seam allowance and then 5" for the overlap on the back (you could make the overlap slightly larger if you want)...so total width added up to 42".  For the height I just added on 1" for the seam allowance.

I cut my fabric using my measurements (42" x 14").

Overlock the smaller ends of your fabric (so I sewed my two 14" ends)...my overlock isn't too great on my machine so I use my zig zag stitch and let one point go off the fabric so that it rolls the edge and stops it from fraying.

Turn over the now overlocked ends (1-1.5cm) and sew using the edge of your machines foot along the edge of your folded fabric.

Ignore this bit (and the next few) if you are just doing a plain cover...pin your printed fabric making sure it sits central to your cushion, make sure to check the over lapping of the fabric on the back is fairly central.  For how to print onto fabric click here for one of my previous posts.

I sewed round my fabric twice, the first time I just did a straight line, the second time I did a bit of wiggling...I like the finished result and the frayed edge, but you could appliqué etc.

Have the front of your fabric/pillow face up, then fold one end over and then the other...work the fabric so that it is the width of your pillow (making sure if you have attached a design/fabric that this is still central) and so that the overlap is fairly central again, then pin along the top and bottom.

Sew along the two pinned edges using the 1cm guide on your sewing machine, and then overlock the two edges you've just sewn to stop them from fraying.

Turn the pillow the right way out and ta da you have a super duper pillow case for your settee.

Preparing for and Reviewing General Conference #3

One of these days I'll be super prepared and get my posts on here before General Conference starts, lol!!  Well it's another 'can' idea but for General Conference this time, also below is a great link to 'The ultimate guide to General Conference with kids'...a must for anyone with children :)  

General Conference Preparation

I've made a 'can' for each of my kids this year and have filled them with pens, felt tips, crayons (for the younger ones), and some sweets...I find doing these quirky little things generally helps with my kids concentration and also they get really excited for Conference too.  I printed the phrase "I 'can' listen to the Prophets and Apostles" on some card and used lots of my 'DIY Mod Podge' to stick it on.  Voila!...job done :)

I put a big packet of love heart sweets in each one and the plan is each time they hear the word love (or something about love) being mentioned they get to have one....I'm guessing the younger ones will have finished theirs before the opening prayer, lol?!!?! 

General Conference Review

Very similar to the above except with the words 'I 'can' listen and obey the Prophets and Apostles'.  On the Monday after Conference for FHE we are going to go through our General Conference Notebooks and decide for each talk what conference square picture to stick at the top of their named lollipop stick.  

Conference Squares

Then on the back of the stick we will write a goal/idea of what we can do to follow the council given and review these during the next six months for FHE/family councils/goal setting etc.

This is going to sit on our mantle and I'm hoping it will be a daily reminder for the children and us to look through and remind us of the talks and council given at conference :)

Looking for other ideas??  The website shown below has a stack load of great links for all different kinds of activities, colouring, games etc, why not take a look it's great :)

livecrafteat.com

The Ultimate Guide to General Conference with kids

lds.org also has a page specifically designated for General Conference Activities for Children too.

Hope you enjoy watching Conference with your family and loved ones xx.