Pin-spired Pillows...

I'm a bit of a Pinterest Junkie, so as I was standing in the kitchen waiting for my coffee to be ready, I decided to do a little Pinteresting....

I was searching through the DIY board, and I saw this project that was using a cable knit sweater to make a Pottery Barn style pillow cover, and I was Pinspired!

Years ago, Roots came out with this "Work Sock" bedding collection....and being a huge fan of wool socks, especially the work sock, and Roots (I am Canadian, eh?) I couldn't resist! I bought the sheets, the knit blanket and the corresponding knitted work sock pillow shams! I may have gone a little over board on the pillow shams however......six at last count (plus an additional set purchased as a gift for my work sock loving sister).....

So what, may I ask, is a girl to do with so many amazing Roots pillow shams?! Throw Pillow Shams of course! After hoarding them for years, it was finally time to take them out of their packages and convert them into usable style staples in my living room.

I have a stash of down filled Ikea pillow forms that needed a little covering so I used old T-shirts to act as a "undershirt" for my pillow covers so the feathers don't poke through....I just sewed in the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt and slipped the pillow in the neck hole.

 

So, the covers...I used large square pillows for three of my shams and two smaller, rectangular pillows....leaving one sham for me to hoard a little longer!

So here's thing.....I didn't want to cut up the sham...I know, I know....I can't remove the cover to wash it, and I may grow tired of the case and want to change it, but...what if I want to re-purpose the pillow cases again someday? The worst thing I could do would be to cut them..... So yes, there is a better way to cover a pillow, but not if your me, and you love your shams too much to cut them, then there's not.

 

I stuffed my pillow into the sham far enough that I could easily sew shut the opening with some thread that matched the sham. My pillows, as mentioned, are different, which I think will look very cabin-y, and me"ish" once they are finished and sprawled around my living room.....

Then, I went to the button jar.....and I have to say....I was a little disappointed with my findings. So, until I get to the fabric store to find some big ol' wooden buttons, or a thrift store to re-purpose the vintage buttons off some old mans sweater, what I have will have to do.....

I pinned the places I want my buttons to go, then using some wool, I knotted the buttons into place. 

So now I have a partially finished.....but usable project. Just waiting for those perfect buttons, and I can still use the shams in the future for another project...or if they are the shams of a life time....I might just bite the bullet and cut them into removable, washable throw pillow cover.

I hope you feel inspired to make your own, re-purpose-able throw pillow covers.