Sewing

my pillow

You wouldn’t think a simple pillow would make such an impact.  I recently found my bedroom in a state I didn’t want anymore.  I had painted the walls a darker terra cotta when we moved in, but was so sick of how dark it made the room feel.  I definitely wanted a change.  Something neutral and modern and that I could change things up by just adding a different quilt or pillow or lampshade.  I don’t like being stuck with a certain decorating scheme. 

So I daringly went and picked out my gray wall color, against my husbands wishes, haha.  I had to prime and paint, but it wasn’t too bad.  Emily hung out with me while I painted, she pointed out where all the ants were crawling along the walls and I gladly got rid of them – one by one (luckily they’re gone now but I was getting worried).  In the end I LOVE it and am so glad I made the change.  Now the room is open to possibilities!

So the first thing I thought of after starting a gigantic quilt (and am definitely not ready to finish it) was to make something simple.  A pillow.  It was a quick and fun project that didn’t take long, but really made my night!  After I finished it I was skipping and jumping all the way up to bed I was so excited.  Funny how that works. 

I used a king size pillow (one I scored on clearance at target) and Sew Katie Did‘s invisible zipper tutorial again.  The fabrics are Alexander Henry Laurel Canyon in Pink and Heath (a home dec weight, one I spotted here).  Love it!

And here’s another gratuitous shot of my bedroom, hopefully I’ll be able to get a night stand and maybe a cool chair to put in there someday….oh and a headboard would be nice… (hey! at least I have pictures on the walls!)

32 thoughts on “my pillow

  1. Amber says:

    Love the pillow!!! I have been wanting to change my room so bad (espcially after Reese’s room re-do) but my husband keeps saying “no”!!! Maybe it will just have to get done when he is at work one day ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. ificould says:

    That turned out so cute. I know what you mean- being stuck to a color scheme. I painted my bedroom blue and brown 3 years ago, kind of done with it but I know my hubs will freak if I say I want to repaint it- I’ve got to finish the rest of the house first!

  3. Maxabella says:

    The fabric is so gorgeous. You’re right, the pillow really makes the room pop. The photos of your children are also gorgeous!!!

  4. nima says:

    lovely pillow…i love the fabric

  5. Sew Much Ado says:

    Oh Anna, I love the gray color. It looks so serene and relaxing! My room could definitely use some paint… and a new quilt. I’ve had the quilt pictured in my head, but haven’t even bought fabric for it yet, so we’ll see how long it takes to actually happen!

    I love the pillow too, the orange goes so good with the gray walls!

  6. Catherine says:

    I love the purple against the gray!

  7. Sarah Pead says:

    Beautiful pillow. Love the bright colors and how they contrast with the gray walls. We painted our bedroom a gray as well for that very same reason. It gives you so much more design flexibility.

  8. Rachel says:

    Your room looks beautiful, Anna. I love the grey walls and the pillow makes such an impact. Now I want to paint my dull, beige walls! And sew a fantastic BIG pillow.

  9. Chris says:

    Love it. We’re contemplating a move…which means new colors and possibilities. Thanks for the inspiration.

  10. Mary says:

    Great job on the pillow! It really does add a lot, and I’m a huge fan of that fabric line. I’m liking the gray walls too – you really can do anything now!

  11. hilltopmom says:

    Your pillow is beautiful and your room is cool and refreshing.

  12. Nancy says:

    I love the fabrics you used on that pillow. Also, the size gives it a great punch. Thanks for sharing that.

  13. Leslie says:

    this is gorgeous…i am in the process of begging my husband to paint our bedroom a light gray. he is not buying into it. he hates to paint. but i think after many years of the same blue i am ready for something different. your pillow looks great. i love the pics you have of your girls in your room

  14. Love it. I’ve been awfully bored with our bedroom for awhile too, and a bright colorful pillow is a great idea! (and within budget). Thanks!

  15. Emily says:

    I love the pillow, the grey walls, and the lovely photos of your girls. A chair like this would be fun:
    http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/190-8048282-6043911?asin=B001QVPLFQ&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B001QVPLFQ&CPNG=furniture&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

  16. I’m not sure if I’ve commented here yet, but I’ve been reading for a while now. I bought gray paint for our bedroom two months ago, but we have yet to get it on the walls. I too wanted gray, because I hate being stuck with a set color scheme. I’m loving how yours turned out. I hope mine will look that good, too. I’m a bit fearful that I picked something a little too dark. We’ll see. I’m especially glad to see that your dresser still looks good with the gray, because we have the same dressers. Oddly enough, we also have the same oak-y wood baseboards, which my husband is very against painting.

  17. lovely pillow – it stands out bright and bold and beautifully… (it would totally get lost in our room!) oh, this is just the nudge that may push me to neutralize our walls! we recently had a color consultant come by to help us w/ exterior colors – she did a tour inside to get a sense of our style and preferences… her assessment is that we have lots of fun colors on the walls, yet lots of fun colors with our *stuff* and it all competes so you don’t truly see and appreciate it when it’s visually drowned out. after seeing pictures like these of your new space, I’m starting to agree… and who doesn’t love a fresh, clean slate to create upon?

  18. Dahlia says:

    I love the gray! It really opens the room up and feels so comfy. Great fabric on the pillow too! I bet Dan likes your hard work, afterall ๐Ÿ™‚

  19. Cindy says:

    Love the pillow!! The grey really is a calming color and the pillow looks great with that color. I’m in the process now of re-doing a spare bedroom…although I’m tackling stripping oldddddd wallpaper so, not much fun but I’ll keep thoughts of making my own pillows dancing in my head and maybe it won’t be so bad!! ๐Ÿ™‚ The pics of your girls are great too!!

  20. Emskyrooney says:

    Fantastic! Could you tell me what color the gray is? I’ve been wanting to paint our bedroom gray too and have been having a hard time finding the right color!

  21. Karin van D. says:

    I love the grey, it looks so peaceful. The pillow is really cute. It makes the room turn bright in one second. Very nice!

  22. Kari says:

    I’ve been feeling very out of love with our bedroom, too. Love the fabric, the pillow, the paint, the ROOFLINE, all of it. And I can’t wait to see the big quilt someday!

  23. Hilary says:

    I love the purple and grey combo. Can you tell what the paint was you used? I’m collecting greys and neutrals to choose from for my own house. Love it and love your blog!

  24. Ohhhh, gorgeous as per usual my dear! Wanna make some for my house? hahaha.
    I just redid the ones in my living room, but I was too chicken to use zippers and did an envelope fold, which I have to admit I love too. I’m scared of the zipper foot and haven’t summed up the courage to use it yet – wanna come over and show me? Can we do button holes too? EEEk!

  25. Sofia says:

    It is truly beautiful! Thanks for inspiration! I appreciate your blog and have given The Versatile Blog award.
    http://walker325.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-got-award.html

  26. Vanessa says:

    Love the pillow Anna! I love the photos of N and E on the wall!

  27. Anna says:

    hey hilary~ the print is alexander henry, laurel canyon in pink. ๐Ÿ™‚

  28. Hilary says:

    Thank you for replying, Anna…I was asking about the paint–I was wondering if you still have the name of the color and brand you used on the walls? Thanks! (Do love that fabric, too!)

  29. Anna says:

    sorry Hilary~
    I don’t have the paint color but I do know it is from the martha stewart collection at home depot. I’ll try and find the paint chip and put it in the post when I find it.

  30. amy smart says:

    Love the pillow! Makes the perfect statement. And thanks for posting the tutorial for the zipper pillow covers. I need to make a bunch. I finally got a new zipper foot for my machine and I’m ready for action.

  31. erica says:

    That’s a delicious print! nice work ๐Ÿ™‚

  32. sewkatiedid says:

    I love both those prints…In fact I hoard the Health! Thanks for the link!

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