Bird Pillow

Thank you, Jessica from Running With Scissors.  I love the bird pillow cover she designed and wanted to do a version of it for my entryway bench.  I chose to do things a little differently than her tutorial, but again, a huge shout-out for providing the pattern FREE! To start with, I wanted a white pillow cover.  Well, I found this Restyle pillow form at Target for $4.99- so I bought it and decided to forgo a cover and do my design directly on the pillow.

Instead of using freezer paper stenciling, I chose to use my Silhouette and cut a heat transfer image.  For detailed instructions, the Silhouette blog has great tutorials for all their projects.

I used Paint to slightly tweak the design, then change her image into a JPEG file.  I then uploaded it to my Silhouette software.  I then changed the image to an outline. I then mirrored the image horizontally, since I am using it with heat transfer. I cut it out on my trusty Silhouette, then removed the negative space around the image, which left me with this. I then ironed it on to my pillow, following the instructions on the box. From there on, instead of sewing the fabric leaves on, I used Heat N Bond to iron them on. I love it!  Since I used scraps from other pillows, I have a real “collection” of pillows.
This project was SO EASY because of my Silhouette!  And, since I had all the materials on hand, the total cost was $4.99- the cost of the pillow form. If you don’t have a craft cutter, start saving up for one!  I initially balked at getting one since I don’t scrapbook or make cards.  But I use it all the time for home decor and gifts, and I use it for things such as gift tags, baby shower favors and decorations, church activities, and handouts.  Where I might spend have previously spent $25 on a gift for someone, now I spend a fraction of that on supplies for a homemade gift.  Seriously- research it.  Think about it.  Buy one.  You’ll be glad you did.