// DIY (No Sew!) Burlap + Denim Throw Pillows

You know how in movies there is always that couple with the insane amount of throw pillows on their bed? They spent an insane amount of time taking them off, putting them away, and then arranging them back in place the next morning... and it all seems so ridiculous and unnecessary. We are that couple. Or I should say I am that "couple" haha! Mike couldn't care one way or the other if we had throw pillows, but me? I'm a little bit into them. I used to think throw pillows were so stupid and such a waste of space and money... now I like to change them out every season. February's Michaels Makers challenge was simply "denim," but I was surprisingly stumped. I had no idea how to incorporate denim into my home or crafts because it's typically not my go-to fabric. After Mike and I strolled around Michaels for a good bit of time, I found these burlap pillows. I thought about the denim ribbon I had seen and then lightbulb! I could make my own fun throw pillows!

Our bedroom is already a hodgepodge of textures and neutral colors, so I thought adding in a couple more pillows couldn't hurt. I realize we now have a lot of throw pillows so we'll probably put a couple away, but for this post they're all up there (with the exception of the one Mike made me for our 2nd wedding anniversary). 

When I decided to do the pillows, I thought I'd do one more "masculine" and one more "feminine," that way there was a bit of balance on the bed. (Ha! Balance! Because all of the pink and florals and ruffles can be balanced...) When I found the big denim bow in the Make Market section, I immediately threw it in my buggy and was determined to find a way to use it. Even if I didn't use it for this project, I wanted to use it somewhere. It was too cute to deny. I also found the thicker denim ribbon with the lace overlay and that's when I put the two together to create a pillow. I picked up two different colors of thinner denim ribbon and thought a waffle weave pattern would be cute to try. Mike ended up deciding on the asymmetrical look of it and I like how they contrast each other but are both made on the diagonal. (Word to the wise: If you decide to use the thinner ribbon like this, grab some fray check! I didn't have any on hand and boy oh boy, it shed like crazy!)

You can use a variety of supplies to adhere the denim to the pillows. A couple of options include hot glue (I did this as a test, and it worked well enough, but obviously wouldn't hold up to washing. To be honest I'm not sure if anything would?) and hem tape (my preferred choice). Of course you could also go the traditional route by sewing the pieces down. The burlap covers have a small zipper on the bottom so you can slide the pillow form out, but I couldn't manage to navigate the covers on my sewing machine without having to cut up the sides. If you wanted to hand sew a line or just tack them down in various places, that could really make it last. Now that I have them both done, I'll likely go back and tack down the edges here and there because I really do love how they look. I could've just done that from the beginning, but I guess I like to take the scenic route haha

Despite struggling with the theme of the challenge in the beginning, I'm really happy with the end result. I had no intention on creating pillows from the start, but I'm glad it lead me in that direction! If you pop into your local Michaels you'll see the new Make Market line which is full of denim, chalkboard, burlap, cork, and galvanized items and I seriously want all of it! I'm going to drop in Saturday to pick up a few more pieces and I'm definitely planning on stocking up on some goodies.

Happy Monday! xo

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