French Number Pillows

  

I made these french number pillows for my mom this year for Christmas.  I wish I were a better photographer, but, hey, at least I have something to show you.  I love DIY and homemade gifts.  I've been busy with my four little people, so I really didn't get to make as many homemade gifts this year.  This was one of only a few :)

   

I started with 1 yard of duck cloth.  Is duck cloth the same as canvas?  I'm sure thinking so, because it looks exactly the same to me.  Anyway...you'll need:

 1 yard duck cloth/canvas in tan

 1/2 yard in dark brown

1 regular sized bed pillow

Fabric Fusion (or some sort of fabric glue)

Thread

Pins

Sharpie

That's all you'll need for this project.  Since the fabric was on sale, I only spent $8.50 on both pillows!

Start by cutting up your pillow into the sizes you want.  With my regular sized pillow, I was able to cut one square and one smaller rectangle.  Sew them back shut after cutting.

Then, using your pillow as a guide, wrap the canvas all the way around your pillow.  Add about 2 inches in length and about 1 inch in width.  You are making an "envelope" style pillowcase (see mine folded in the picture above).  Then, turn it inside out and sew along the length of each side.  Do not sew the envelope space shut, as you'll need to stick your pillow in through that slot.  Turn it right side out, and put your pillow in it. 

 

Now you'll need to seal that opening shut.  This does not have to look "pretty" as you will cover it with your brown strip of fabric.  I used fabric tac and pins until it was dry (see above).  Remove pins once dry.  

 

Next, measure a strip of the brown fabric for the width you'd like around your pillow.  Be sure to add about an inch to the width for hemming, and a half inch to the length for overlap.  I again used Fabric Tac and pins to hem the brown strip along the sides and one end.  I also used a heavy book to keep them hems pressed together while drying.

Once the hem is dry, position and wrap it around your pillow to cover the back hem.  I again used the Fabric Tac and pins, as well as a heavy book on top to seal the brown to the tan.  Allow it to dry fully before removing the pins.  Add more Fabric Tac, if necessary, to any spots not sealed.  

Next, find a font that you like.  I just googled "French Fonts" and picked one that I liked.  Print out the numbers and matching spellings that you like.  I chose 2 & 9.  

The most difficult part is then cutting out the letters from your print outs.  The letters were so small and tricky to cut out well.  

Once they are cut out, trace them onto your pillow using a Sharpie.  I used a fine point Sharpie for tracing it on, and then a regular Sharpie for filling it in (except in the smaller spaces).  

  

I think they turned out well!  I would probably sew the pillow cases a bit tighter next time so there's not as much looseness around the sides but overall, I love them!