Ruffle Pillows

Moving has definitely inspired me to make a few decor changes, and a room that I have wanted to focus on is the master bedroom. I wasn't exactly sure which direction I wanted to go, but after seeing this room in Southern Living's Idea House, I had a focus: black and white against a seafoam backdrop. 

I was happy to come across bedding that was in my color scheme and had a variety of prints to mix and match; so I picked it up, and of course, am impatient and have already used it before we've even moved (Hence, the boring white wall backdrop I'm currently living with)!  However, I was not in the mood to fork over even more money for Euro shams - I knew I could make my own for less than half the cost of buying ready-made. 

(Excuse the poor photo quality; I couldn't get good lighting!)

To create the ruffled front, I hemmed the edges of 2 lengths of fabric. 

My pillow was a 25" square, and I wanted a substantial ruffle, 

so the bottom layer of ruffle was constructed from a strip measuring 9" X 50",

and the top layer was around 6" X 50." 

My next step was to add the strip to the pillow top.

For this project I didn't pre-gather the ruffle, or even use a ruffle foot on my machine.

I simply stopped the needle every few inches and gathered the fabric as I went.

I love the finished product; not only was it way cheaper than going with the coordinating shams (I purchased this decorator weight fabric for less than $20), it also creates a more original look.

Ruffles are the theme of the week; so check back tomorrow for another project!