Chic Silhouettes

We loved having Mimi and Ampa here for a short visit last weekend!  They not only help tremendously with the littles, but Mimi always cooks delish meals and Ampa always runs out for necessities such as Krispy Kreme, beer, toilet paper and paper towels.  While I had my mother captive, I sweet talked her into making replicas of Constance Crenshaw’s silhouette pillows that I’ve been coveting for at least three years.  I already had my beloved Clay Rice silhouettes, I just needed them turned into pillows!  Unfortunately, Constance’s pillows run $118 each for a 16″x16″ pillow.  I really wanted 18″x18″, didn’t want the border that she uses and, truth be told, could never convince Honey that $250 was a fair amount to spend on two pillows.

So, doing what any girl that always figures out how to get what she wants would do, I picked up some natural muslin fabric, cute black grosgrain pleated trim, black pima fabric for the silhouettes, black thread, two pillow inserts and some pellon.  Since the always dependable Hobby Lobby had nearly ALL of this on sale the day I popped in, my grand total was eighteen dollars.  Let me say it again friends, eighteen dollars!

Here’s how we (my mother) did it:
– Cut out 19″ squares of the muslin for the fronts of both pillows, allowing for 1/2″ seams on my 18″ pillow forms
– Cut out two 19″x13″ pieces to make the overlapping back part of the pillow case for each pillow (so I had four total)
– Ironed the pellon to the black pima

– Pinned enlarged silhouettes to the black fabric; Cut them out

– Following the pellon directions, ironed the cut out silhouettes to the muslin fronts of each pillow
– Using a small straight stitch with black thread, sewed around the outsides of the silhouettes
– Hemmed the overlap sides of the back pieces of the cases
– Pinned together the front covers, trim and back overlapping pieces for each pillow

– Sewed them up and inserted the pillow forms

Since my mother was really the executioner of this project, I realize that these instructions may be lacking a bit.  For that, I apologize and give thanks for having a mother that can pull off a project like this in a couple of hours with a couple of littles begging her to help and very shady directions.

[Whit is facing right and John is facing left.]

I am just swooning over the final result.  They are incredibly chic but still completely classic.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t send out loads of hugs and kisses to my mother for her willingness and expertise on this project (and all of the other crazy ones I think up.)

xoxo