Have you guys enjoyed this weeks Pillow Confessions? I have had a BLAST sharing them with you!

You cant talk pillows without talking about the pillow chop.

A pillow chop (for those that are unaware) is when you fluff a pillow and then chop the top of it and put a large dent in it.

There are 5 different degrees of Chop-ology, or Hell, if you are not a chop fan, that I want to bring to light today.

If you are as much of a Bravo addict as I am, you will probably remember Chad from the first few seasons of Million Dollar Listing.

He is the quintessential Over Chopper,  also known as The Chuck Norris. There is major brute force involved in getting these pillows chopped…so much in fact, that you have either:

a) Hurt yourself…yes, on a pillow

b)  Severely damaged the unfortunate furniture that the pillow was resting on.

This is what The Chuck Norris does to a pillow. I mean, it is basically changing the pillows entire DNA structure. Doesn’t it look like it is in pain?!

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Level 2 is The Botox Chop (also known as a mid chop) is something that I do fairly often. It makes the pillow look younger,  fresher. Like it has someone to look fancy for. To achieve this look,  I lightly chop the top and then pat the pillow twice on the front. Like it has a big belly. This softens the top chop a little. And always makes me think of a fat man. So there is that fun visual for you.

The third level of Chopology is the  Gigli Chop aka the Barely There Chop. You are looking at it,  and cant actually tell if it has been chopped on purpose,  or if the pillow was just made with a dent in it. This look is easily achieved by lightly chopping an overstuffed pillow. Or by pulling the upper corners out after you chop.

Fourth on our list is the Bimbo Chop aka the Fluff . This look is achieved by shaking the pillow so that it fills up with air. There isn’t a ton of dimension to this chop, and there is definitely no channeling your inner Mr. Miyagi. (I know in the picture below that the lack and white pillow is a little chopped, but for this example look at the other ones.)

And last but not least, level 5 is the Ke$ha Chop. Which means, you guessed it, the pillow is what it is. There is no sprucing, no fluffing, no washing. Nothing. You sit on it and leave it exactly how you found it. Squished and not attractive.

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I know people have strong feelings toward the chopping situation, and I am SUPER excited to follow along with the debate in the comments, so weigh in below my lovies! Are you pro or con on the chop?

The post Confessions of a Pillow Addict: The Five Degrees of Chop-ology appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Great fabric is hard to find,  let alone on trend fabric in the colors that you want. Why is that? It is such a frustrating design dilemma that I run into every time I make over a room. The proverbial brick wall in my design life.

By the time the fabric I am dreaming up comes into my reality, I am 9 months over it and already given birth to something else. Its just the way that it is.

And it is stupid.

So like I always do,  I have found a way to take matters into my own hands.

Are you ready for my biggest pillow making secret?! This is life changing.

I dont know why, when everyone else looks at things and sees fashion, I see home decor. Pants? I always think about cutting them apart. Skirts? Poor things dont stand a chance. Its a gift and a curse. And it happens every time I see a scarf.

You can imagine how this puts me into hysterics during my 4x a week Target habit.

I have quite the collection building up.

Do you recognize that stripe scarf from my Headboard Reveal? Its a game changer folks.

Ok. So are you dying to know what the secret is?

Dun dun dun…

Scarf fabric is typically very light and gauzy. I have tried to work with just the scarf and it is a nightmare. Because there is no weight to it, it is impossible to work with. And it is see through, so if your pillow form has any sort of discoloring from feathers or children (and lets be honest, we can probably add husbands to that list) then your pillow will always look dirty. You need something strong to give it strength and make it pretty.

My go to scarf stabilizer is Duck Cloth. You can get it in a rainbow of colors at Joann’s for $10.99/yd (use a coupon!) All you need is a  piece cut to fit your pillow dimensions (If you are unsure about the cutting dimensions check out this post)

Once your canvas is cut to size, sandwich the fusible webbing between your fabric and your scarf.

There are about a million different types of webbing. The one bit of advice that I have is to not over-think it. You probably dont need anything super thick and heavy duty, especially if you are using Duck Cloth. I gravitate toward the least expensive option (its usually around $2.00 a yard)  You dont  need anything fancy. Just make sure that it is fusible on both sides,  some interfacing only attaches on one side.

With your iron set on high with no steam, press the entire length of your canvas. Make sure to overlap your ironing sections as you move it down the ironing board so that you don’t get bubbles.

Let the fabric cool completely so that the webbing can fully fuse before you start sewing.

Once your fabric is cool, trim off the excess scarf and its time to start sewing!

Now for the sewing part…

And because I know you are dying to ask…the octopus,  sheepskin rug,  and wooden cutting board are from Homegoods. The table base, chair, copper vase, books, and art are all thrifted.

I am heading down to Vegas today to hopefully (fingers crossed!) finish Cara’s office. Please start your fasting now, it is going to take a miracle to get it done. The problem? We haven’t seen each other for like 3 weeks,  which means that we have a lot of catching up to do, and that seems to take priority over everything else. You have friends like that too, right?

Tomorrow’s Confession of a Pillow Addict is all about The Chop. So get ready to weigh in,  I am really looking forward to the debate that is bound to happen in the comments. You guys rock my world.

The post Confessions of a Pillow Addict: Slouchy Scarf to Structured Pillow With One Simple Secret. (This is LIFE Changing!) appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Ok, I know I lost some of you at the swear word that is Sewing. But hang tight. I have a paper bag for you to breath into at all times and I promise that this is the SIMPLEST sewing tutorial you will ever have the pleasure of being inspired by.

First lets determine if you are actually ready to sew a pillow. This is a very important test that everyone should take.

Do you feel like you are ready now?! I feel like I should be wearing a sweat band and jumping around getting people excited about pillow making.

The way that I make envelope pillows is different that most people. Mostly because I like to take shortcuts to save time. That is a good thing…right?

**This is for a standard 19” full form down pillow. If you are using a cotton insert,  or something that is sort of flat, you will need to take 1 1/2-2” off of the pillow cover size to “plump” your pillow up a little.

Ok all you sewing-a-phobics are you feeling like this is a doable project? Did anyone need the paper bag?

The post Confessions of a Pillow Addict: My Weird (and Surprisingly Efficient) Way To Sew An Envelope Pillow appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

These leather pillows are one of my favorite projects to date. There is just something so satisfying about taking an unwanted item that was destined for the thrift store and/or dump, and turning it into that perfect something that you were unable to find.

If you remember a couple of weeks ago I shared this post (that has the best title of my life. I mean, I know I will never top So…I Skinned A Couch. It is one for the ages.)   For those unfamiliar with this tale,  I bought a couch off of Craigslist with the sole purpose of cutting it apart to make pillows. Strange? Yes. Welcome to Vintage Revivals.

Did you know that if you make a pillow with leather on both sides it is the equivalent of laying down on a floatie? You know floaties like the orange things you put on kids arms while they are swimming? It will take an hour for all of the air to drain out of your pillow…and 2 days to fill back up.

I wanted my pillows to be really slouchy and a little saggy and really used looking. A floatation device was not a good look for this project.

This simple fact left me at a crossroads. I could try and match the fabric to the leather and fake it. Or I could embrace the change of plans… what do you think I did?

This is so much more than embracing. This is a full contact body hug,  the kind that lasts 15 seconds too long… with a bit of uncomfortable breathing.

I was a little concerned with the whole sewing through leather thing. But with the right needles it was like buttah. They make needles just for this type of job. They are called Leather Needles. Mind Blown.

Start by literally skinning a couch. Leave the leather as intact as possible.

Cut roughly the size of your pillow out of the leather (you may have to piece it together, which makes it all the more awesome. FYI.

Fine tune your cut so that it is a perfect square. My pillow insert is euro size (26×26) AND I wanted it to be shluppy so I made it 29” square and allowed for a 1/2” seam.

Cut the contrasting fabric to the same dimensions. I LOVE using  Duck Cloth for throw pillows. It is a really thick canvas that comes in about a billion colors at Joann’s. It usually runs $10.99 /yd,  so use a 40% of coupon to save a bit of cash! You are also going to want to snag a coordinating zipper. Don’t be scared. Zippers are easy.

Place right sides together.

Turn your machine to the longest stitch length.

Sew your 2 pieces together with 1/2” seam allowance.

Press your seam open and for goodness sake, the leather has already been tanned,  take care to not tan it more.

Pin your zipper facedown in place. Now, I am a rule breaker at heart and sometimes just cant bring myself to do things the right way. Feel free to pin your zipper the whole way down, or if you are a rebel looking for a cause you can pin it at the top like me.

Sew and backstitch over the upper part of your zipper a few times to tack in in place.

Now with your sides still separated sew down one side of the zipper and then the other. Make sure your zipper stays lined up with the center seam.

When both sides of your zipper are sewn in sew a horizontal stitch at the bottom of your zipper,  just like you did at the top.

Now unpick the stitch between the leather and the canvas and TADA! There is your zipper! This is the best kind of magical surprises.

Line up the right sides together again, and stitch the remaining 3 sides. Unzip the zipper a little to get it started and the finish unzipping it when everything is in place.

For really sharp corners cut off the excess before you turn it right sides out.

Turn it right side out,  clip your threads,  stuff,  and enjoy!

    Pillow from Homegoods,  Antique Kilim Rug

I actually made 3 of these cute guys for my bed,  but couldn’t wait until my wicker headboard was done to show you how great they turned out.

So what do you think? Was it worth a couch dying?

The post DIY Leather Pillow Tutorial & How To Sew A Zippered Pillow Cover (The EASY Way!) appeared first on Vintage Revivals.