DIY Pillowcase Refresh

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With the weather warming up FINALLY… it felt like it was time for a little spring refresh around here! 

If you are looking for a fast, easy and satisfying project that will add a statement to your room, consider sewing up your own pillowcases. Seriously, they are so simple you will soon find yourself with WAY TOO MANY to choose from. We love sewing our own to elevate our bedding. It’s such a simple refresh that can make a big difference in a room without breaking the bank and you can use the scraps to make coordinating accent pieces. We used some scraps to make a few coordinating slouchy fabric baskets!

Here are 3 different pillowcase styles that you can try in your home. Let us know which is your favorite in the comments!

Lets get sewing!

Go ahead and wash your fabric beforehand since it will shrink a considerable amount if its 100% cotton. Once your fabric is washed and dried you are ready to get to work!

1. Traditional Narrow Flange 

You will start with 3 fabric choices

-Main Body

-Flange

-Cuff

Fabric Requirements based on pillow size: 

Directions:

  • Cut your fabric pieces to size (reference chart above)
  • Take your cuff piece and your flange piece and fold both in half width wise (wrong sides together). This will give you a 42 inch piece for both, then iron flat.
  • Next, lay out your cuff piece unfolded right side up 
  • Then, lay your flange piece on top of your cuff piece with raw edges even.
  • Next, place the main body piece on top of your cuff and flange pieces with the right side of fabric facing the flange and cuff. (Make sure the cuff is on the bottom, flange is in the middle and the main body piece on top) I like to pin these together during this step to make sure the 3 layers don’t move.
  • Next, take the bottom of your main body piece and begin to roll it up toward the top (where your 3 fabrics meet and are pined together). Stop rolling about 2 inches from the top you will now see the cuff piece underneath

  • Now take the cuff and fold it up over your rolled up body piece and join the bottom edge of  it with the top where the 3 layers are already pinned. You now have a fabric burrito 
  • Next, sew or serge the edge that is all pinned together
  • Then, pull out your fabric from inside your burrito and turn it. You will now have a large rectangular piece with a hidden seam where the cuff and the body join together. 
  • You will now iron your cuff and flange flat
  • Next you will fold your pillowcase in half (right sides together) and sew or serge down the side and along the bottom
  • Tie off your thread tails and trim 
  • Now turn your pillowcase right side out and give the seams a good press
  • Yay!!! You did it! Enjoy your new pillowcase!

2. Feminine Ruffles

You will start with 3 fabric choices

-Main Body

-Ruffle

-Cuff

Fabric Requirements based on pillow size: 

Directions:

  • Cut your fabric pieces to size (reference chart above)
  • Since your ruffle piece is 63 inches long you will need to sew it in two pieces. Go ahead and sew those 2 pieces together and press the seam open.
  • Next, fold your ruffle piece in half width wise wrong sides together and iron it
  • Then, take your ruffle and sew along the top a basting stitch (make sure to leave the tails at the beginning and end long)
  • Take one side of your tails and separate the two piece. Hold them both in your hand but only pull one. This will begin to gather or ruffle your fabric. Push the fabric down and adjust it evenly as you pull. Continue to do this until you get a piece that is 42 inches long.
  • Take your cuff piece and fold it  in half width wise (wrong sides together) This will give you a 42 inch piece and iron flat.
  • Next, lay out your cuff piece unfolded right side up 
  • Then, lay your ruffle on top of your cuff piece and line the raw edges up, clipping or pinning them together.
  • Next, take the main body piece and place along the top of your cuff and ruffle. I like to pin these together during this step to make sure the 3 layers do not move. (Make sure the cuff is on the bottom, ruffle in the middle and main body on the top)
  • Next, take the bottom of your main body piece and begin to roll it up towards the top (where your 3 fabrics meet and are pined together) stop rolling about 2 inches from the top and you will now see the cuff piece underneath
  • Now take the cuff and fold it up over your rolled up body piece and join the bottom edge of it with the top where the 3 layers are already pinned. You now have a fabric burrito 
  • Next, sew or serge the edge that is all pinned together
  • Next, pull out your fabric from inside your burrito and turn it. You will now have a large rectangular piece with a hidden seam where the cuff and the body join together. 
  • You will now iron your cuff and ruffle
  • Then, top stitch the edge where your cuff and ruffle meet
  • Next you will fold your pillowcase in half (right sides together) and sew or serge down the side and along the bottom
  • Tie off your thread tails and trim 
  • Now turn your pillowcase right side out and give the seams a good press
  • Yay!!! You did it! Enjoy your new pillowcase!

3.  Modern Exaggerated Cuff

You will start with 2 fabric choices

-Main Body

-Cuff

-(Optional) Accent Trim

Fabric Requirements based on pillow size: 

Directions:

  • Cut your fabric pieces to size (reference chart above)
  • Take your cuff piece and fold it in half width wise (wrong sides together) This will give you a 42 inch piece and iron flat.
  • Next, lay out your cuff piece unfolded right side up 
  • Then, take the main body piece and line it up along the top of your cuff, matching the raw edges. I like to pin these together during this step to make sure the 2 layers do not move.
  • Next, take the bottom of your main body piece and begin to roll it up towards the top (where your 2 fabrics meet and are pined together) stop rolling about 2 inches from the top and you will now see the cuff piece underneath
  • Now take the cuff and fold it up over your rolled up body piece and join the bottom edge of  it with the top where the 2 layers are already pinned. You now have a fabric burrito 
  • Next, sew or serge the edge that is all pinned together
  • Next, pull out your fabric from inside your burrito and turn it. You will now have a large rectangular piece with a hidden seam where the cuff and the body join together. 
  • You will now iron your cuff flat
  • (OPTIONAL) If you would like to add an accent trim take your trim and lay it over the seam there the cuff and main body fabric meet and top stitch it on.
  • Next you will fold your pillowcase in half (right sides together) and sew or serge down the side and along the bottom
  • Tie off your thread tails and trim 
  • Now turn your pillowcase right side out and give the seams a good press
  • Yay!!! You did it! Enjoy your new pillowcase!

Just like that, you now have 3 new pillowcases!

The fabric I choose for my pillowcases is from the new Rifle Paper Co. collection Camont that I found from Hawthorne Supply Co. The quality is fantastic and I know its going to hold up with daily wear and regular wash and those florals, well you can’t go wrong with RPC Florals!!!!

Happy sewing friends!

-Amanda

It’s February! Lets Decorate!

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Hi Friends! 

Happy February! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner I wanted to share a few simple ways that I like to decorate this time of year. I’ve never been a big Valentine’s Day decorator but with now having 2 little boys, I do enjoy putting out a few things here and there since they do get a kick out of it. So here’s how I keep it simple yet fun enough to make it special! 

A Festive Quilt!  

A few years back I participated in a sew along hosted by Sharron Holland and Maureen Cracknell using the Heartsy Heart block pattern from Allison Harris. I loved how simple the pattern was and I had the perfect Art Gallery fabric bundle just laying around waiting to be sewn up. By no means do you NEED to go sew a special Valentine quilt right now… however I love how a festive quilt instantly brightens up a room and is a practical item to have on hand for snuggles or fort building. IF you are looking for ANOTHER project to add to that WIP list then this is a great one! I loved how easy the pattern was to sew up and it’s a perfect quilt for a confident beginner.

Pattern:  Heartsy Heart  By: Allison Harris at Cluck Cluck Sew 
Fabric:  Ballerina Fusion, Sparkler Fusion By: Art Gallery Fabrics 

A Cute Pillow!

I had a little Sparkler Fusion fabric left over from my quilt so I made one extra block in hopes of making a cute little pillow to go with it at some point…. well 2 years later I finally got to it and it turned out better then I had hoped! I had an idea in my head and I am the type of person to just start going even if I am unsure about some things along the way… I tend to figure it out as I go. Anyways somehow with very little seam ripping (thank goodness) it turned out.

So heres what I did…

Made the initial heart block following the same pattern as the quilt. I then added a 4.5 inch border around the whole block, which allowed it to fit my pillow nice and snug. My pillow size was 18 x18 in. You can easily adjust your border size depending on your pillow size either making it larger or smaller just be sure to take into account the seam allowance.

 Next, I cut a piece of batting slightly larger then my block along with cutting a larger white piece of fabric. I sandwiched them together (batting between the block and the white fabric) and spray basted them together using this to hold it all together.  

I then marked 1 inch lines with a Frixion Pen in a cross hatch design across the white background.

I used a pale pink thread to sew around the outside of the heart and then sewed over the Frixion Pen marks. Once finished I ironed it and the pen lines disappeared! 

Once my quilting was completed I cut chenille-it strips the vertical width of my heart. I cut 12 strips and evenly spaces them over the heart part of the block. I then sewed down the middle and used a toothbrush to fray it. You can also throw it in the wash and it will self fray (However I was impatient) 

 I then decided to  sew up a scrappy pipping for the edge of the pillow. Here is a great tutorial by Hey There Home on how to create a pillow with pipping and good tutorial from The Sewing Loft on how to make a scrap binding.

Finally, I cut a backing piece the same size as my front, installed a zipper and boom I had a pillow. Here is a great tutorial from Suzy Quilts on making a quilted pillow with a zipper you can check out.

Fun Garland

Using scraps from my Ballerina Fusion fabric that I had left over from my quilt I decided to sew up some fun heart garland. It was super easy to make and a great scrap buster project.

Heres how I did it in 6 easy pictures to follow…

Coordinating Slouchy Fabric Baskets

I love switching out our fabric slouchy baskets seasonally throughout my house. It’s such an easy switch that has a big impact. The large size works great for faux plants and the small size is perfect for things like pens and pencils or in this case I added one to my kids play kitchen to hold their utensils. They don’t take up a lot of extra storage so I don’t mind having a handful to switch between through out the year for things. 

I don’t always have the time to make thoughtful handmade items for my own home (my valentines decor has been in the making for a few years now) but I do love the feel of a home with those special handmade touches and they are always the items I am excited to pull out year after year! My hope is that you will be inspired to create something special for your own home that will be made with love.

Happy Sewing!

-Amanda

A Fall Wardrobe Staple!

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I’ve had the Elliot Sweater by Helen’s Closet on my make list for the last year but it just seemed like I could never find time to check projects off my list that were for me. Can anyone else relate?

 I finally had a free weekend to sew just in time for fall to arrive! I was  so excited to able to be able to sew this up in under 2 hours! I love patterns like this especially now when my free time is so sparse with a little running around fighting for my constant attention!

Said little one above loving the pumpkin patch as my hubby plays photographer (I told him not to quit his day job… I take what I can get though)

The Elliot Sweater is a great beginner pattern! It was clearly written and easy to follow. 

Skills you will learn or practice:

♥Sewing a split hem

♥Sewing a turtle neck

♥Sewing with knit fabric

♥Sewing a raglan sleeve style top

I had found this quilty army green fabric at Hobby Lobby last year. At the time I didn’t have a plan for it but I decided this was the perfect project to finally put it to use. (I did notice Hobby Lobby has the same fabric this year as well if you end up trying to find it. They must bring it back seasonaly) 

In the end I didn’t make any alterations however, I did notice the shoulders run narrow (I am also broad shouldered so if you aren’t you might not notice any problems). I do plan to let out the shoulder area a smidge next time to see if I can get it to be a little more relaxed or maybe size up one. I will have to play around with it otherwise, it was a great pattern to work with and even if I didn’t make a shoulder adjustment it is such a comfy sweater and the oversized turtle neck has been amazing since the weather has started to get chilly!

Happy sewing friends!

♥Amanda

Fall Leaf Table Runner

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It’s finally beginning to feel like fall at least in the mornings here… just barely but its right around the corner and these mid 80º days will be long gone soon enough! Which means it’s the perfect time to bust out a few fall inspired sewing projects before it sneaks up on us right?!?

I love using table runners in my house and I am always switching mine out to change the look of my table setting. I had this idea to sew up an organic shaped leaf runner that looked almost as if the leaves had just fallen on the table. So I set out to make it happen! I feel like it looks like it should be a lot harder then it actually was to make. I was surprised how quickly I moved thought the project considering I was problem solving and designing as I went. Once I finished, I fell in LOVE with how it turned out and the neutral white is the perfect choice for our home. It says fall without screaming it.

You do not need to use white if that look won’t match your home. You could easily decide to use a mixture of fall solids or printed fabrics, you could use scraps up, or even try a ombre palette instead and it would be equally pretty! (Ugh! Now I am wanting to make another geez…)

Ok, so heres how to make your own runner:

Materials:

FREE Catalina Home·Grown Leaf Patterns

1yd White Linen Look Alike Fabric (JoAnn Fabrics)
Brown Thread
Frixion Pen
Fabric Scissors
Fabric Glue
(I used Elmers white glue since thats what I had on hand)
Pins
Iron
Scissors

♥ First, cut out your leaf pattern pieces (You can use all 4 shapes or just 1 or 2 whatever you decide. I ended up using them all).

♥Next, trace the leaves onto your folded fabric using your Frixion pen

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♥Once you have traced the leaves cut them apart into smaller more manageable pieces to cut (each leaf has 2 pieces of fabric) This will make cutting the actual leaf shape easier

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♥Next, pin the 2 pieces of fabric together for each leaf and cut along the Frixion pen lines.

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♥Then, using the brown thread “draw” an outline of the leaf about a 1/4in. in from the edge using your sewing machine Pro Tip: Its ok if this is not perfect! I repeat it’s ok if it’s not perfect! I actually purposely tried to make mine a little “messy” after a few leaves you’ll get into a rhythm and it’s relatively simple.

sew lines

♥Next, using brown thread still, sew the veins of the leaves by just loosely mapping out what you feel looks like leaf veins. Think “Y” and “V” shapes.

leaf lines

♥Once your leaves are all sewn press them with your iron to remove any leftover Frixion pen lines

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♥Then, used your fingernail to scrap at the edges of the leaves to fray them. This takes a little bit of time and yes was messy because of my fabric choice. Pro Tip: Turn on last weeks episode of Bachelor in Paradise to review all the drama as you work. The time will fly by 😉

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♥Once all of your leaves are sewn and frayed clear a flat surface and arrange them how you want them to lay on your table. Making sure to overlap them a little.

♥Next, take your fabric glue or Elmers glue and tack down the over lapping pieces. As you do this put a pin in those places so you don’t forget where you need to sew. It also gives extra stability since you will have to pick this up and move it to your machine.

pins

♥Once you let the glue sit for a few minutes, go ahead and carefully transfer the runner to your sewing machine to piece together.

♥In order to attach the leaves sew directly onto the brown lines you had already made anywhere there is a pin. Pro Tip: Try to tack down as much of the leaves as possible in these areas. This might mean you have to lift up the leaves to see where there are more brown lines to stitch over.

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♥Once you have sewn down all your leaves. Trim any extra threads and give it good press.

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♥Yay!!! Great work! Now go style your new runner in your home and snap a pic to share so we can see!!! Tag us @catalinahomegrown so we don’t miss it. We love a little home decor inspo too 🙂

 

Happy Sewing!

♥Amanda

 

The Un-Paper Towels

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How To Make Reusable Paper Towels:

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Last week we posted about Mister Domestics Project Party and all the fun makes we got to create here. One of those were reusable paper towels, something that had been on our radar for quite some time. The only thing stopping us were using the little plastic snaps. Now that we actually made them it seems funny since they were SO EASY to do!!! I actually can’t wait to try them out on MORE projects!

Since we loved how ours turned out we wanted to make a little tutorial for you so that you could whip up your own. This is a great beginner sewing project and you can easily sew up a roll in a weekend!

Materials you will need:

-Cotton Fabric (we used scraps) (Dimentions 6.5×11.5in)
-Plastic snaps (4 snaps per towel)
-Plastic snap pliers
-Thread
-Terry Cloth fabric (1yd makes 12)
-Ruler
-Rotary Cutter
-Frixion Pen

Here how to do it:

1. First you will need to cut your cotton fabric and your terry cloth into 6.5×11.5in size rectangles. I suggest using a rotary cutter for both but it is very helpful for the terry cloth since its messy and you can easily make a clean straight line.

Pro tip: Use a lint roller when you are done to clean up the left over fuzzies on your cutting table.

2. Next, sew your cotton and terry fabric rectangles right sides together    using a 1/4in. seam allowance and leaving a 1.5 in. gap on one of the sides so that you can flip the fabric right side out.IMG_4448

3. Turn your fabric right side out and finger press the seams flat. You can use a Purple Thang tool to help you get the corners pointy. 

4. Now press with an iron to ensure flatness and straight edges.

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5. Next, sew a 1/4in. seam around the edges off each rectangle with coordinating thread since you will see it. This will also close your opening where you turned your fabric so make sure it is ironed so that the raw edge is turned under.

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6. You will then need to mark with your Frixion pen a diagonal line going from corner to corner which will form an “X” on each rectangle
Sew over your lines quilting the 2 pieces of fabric together for extra stability. Press with an iron to remove the Friction pen lines when done

lines steps

7.  Next, you need to attach the plastic snaps begin by using the sharp tool that comes in the snap kit to poke holes in each of the corners.

Pro tip: Along your corners will be thicker since the seam allowance is there so punch the holes slightly down from the corners roughly 3/4in. so that you are only punching through 2 layers of fabric not 4. This will make it much easier when you begin to attach your snaps as they can not go through super thick fabric. You can use a ruler to ensure the same measurement on each corner so that the snaps line up evenly

8. You will then follow the directions in your snap kit on how to attach the snaps, alternating each side of the paper towel with the opposite snaps (since they are male and female) in order to allow them to snap together once rolled on the paper towel.

Pro Tip: We lined our snaps up first in two lines so that we could easily grab the ones we needed since they are so little and hard to identify. It saved us time and confusion.

snap steps

9. Finally, attach all your fabric pieces together by snapping them to make a long strip and roll them around a paper towel holder. 

roll up pics

10. Hurray you are done!! Now go enjoy your new un-paper towels!

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Just throw them it the wash once you use one and snap it back onto the roll when clean! SOO EASY!!! 

Enjoy!!! Be sure to tag us at @Catalinahomegrown so we can see all your makes!

♥Jackie and Amanda

The Mister Domestic Catch and Release Project Party!!!

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Growing up in Upstate, NY around the Finger Lakes region we were surrounded by beautiful rolling (green) hills, SO many trees (actual tall trees), and lakes, rivers, streams, ponds… puddles… soooo much water!!!! Every summer we catch ourselves day dreaming of those perfect summer nights by the lake; slight breeze, campfire burning, and the water lapping the beach. We have to say this desert living is a far cry from those perfect summer nights along Keuka Lake!!

When we saw Mathews @Misterdomestic latest @artgalleryfabrics collection Catch and Release it instantly reminded us of HOME! His collection embodies everything about those long summer days and breezy summer nights at the lake that we miss! We were so excited to get sewing and to create a summer inspired picnic set up, that fingers crossed would “magically” transport us out of the desert! HA!

Well it sort of did…

group of pics 1

We met half way (give or take a few miles) between Arizona and Albuquerque the other weekend in Show Low, Arizona to try to find a little green and blue scenery that our typical taupe and very taupe landscape doesn’t have. We decided to set up our picnic along Fools Hollow Lake. While it might not have been as large as Keuka Lake and it lacked those rolling hills you defiantly felt like you were no longer desert side.

We had so much fun setting up our little picnic, and we loved seeing all the coordinating fabrics play off one another as we arranged our table of makes.

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So lets talk about what we ended up sewing with all this adorable AGF fabric!!!

We knew we wanted to create a few summery picnic items so we designed this cute fish placemat perfect for summer dinners outside! Hands down it was our favorite make and really added something extra to our picnic set up. You can find the free pattern here to make yourself! YAY!! Be sure to tag us #Catalinahomegrown so we can see all your projects!

Catalina Home·Grown FREE Summer Fish Placemat Pattern

We also have been wanting to try our hand at making reusable paper towels. They were so fun and so easy to sew up! We used plastic snaps to be able to attach each towel and they were a breeze to put together using the Dritz plastic snap pliers. We may or may not have a tutorial coming soon *wink wink* so keep your eyes out for that.

papertowels

A few staple items that we have in our Etsy shop that we decided to add to our table setting were our new reusable bowl covers. We LOVE them in these cute fish themed prints that Mathew designed. Perfect for picnics or storing food in the fridge to keep fresh instead of plastic wrap or tin foil. They have a wipeable fabric lining and guess what?! you can throw them in the wash if they get dirty!!! They come in 3 sizes too. We also put together the cutest set of wine coasters. These things are great! You just slip your wine glass inside them and they travel with you as your glass moves. They also double as wine charms.

coasters :covers

Two fun new items that we made were a fabric trivet and a fabric modge-podge serving tray. The fabric trivet turned out so cute and looks way more difficult then it actually was. We found a tutorial online using rope that wrapped the fabric around it in order to make a rug. We simply just made it smaller in size for a trivet. Its a great way to scrap bust! You can find the tutorial here.

trivet, tray

We had picked up a serving tray at Joann Fabrics in the 70% off section the other week and loved the shape of it but was not a fan of the print for the bottom of the base. Soooo we thought why not modge-podge some of Mister Domestics beautiful blue bank flora fabric onto it!!! This was our favorite print of his… because well we love ALL the FLORALS and we love how we now have a fun pop of color on this simple tray. 

To make the tray we…

*Traced the circle on the fabric,
*Cut the fabric
*Painted the modge-podge glue on the base
*Laid the fabric down
*Pressed flat
*Let dry
…and Ta-Da!!! A beautiful summery serving tray!

Finally, we took our slouchy fabric baskets that we sell in our Etsy shop and tweeked the pattern a little to create hanging plant baskets, and we are soooo in love!!! The Catch and Release floral prints Mathew designed look like they were meant for these little cuties….add pom-poms and UGH! ADORABLE!!! I love how these really bring the outdoors inside (especially if you end up picnicking in your air-condintioned house). They are the perfect summer accessory to add some dimension and life into a room. 

We have had such a blast creating all these goodies for Mister Domestics Project Party using his new fabrics that we wanted to share the love with all of y’all! Be sure to check out and enter our amazing giveaway on IG featuring this adorable line of fabric. You don’t want to miss it!

A huge thank you to Mathew for allowing us to participate it his super fun, super craft-tastic blog party!!! This guy is the real deal y’all!!

♥ Jackie and Amanda

We FINALLY Did It!!!

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Hello Friends!

Yes, we finally did it!!! We bit the bullet y’all and started our blog! This has been something we both have been wanting to do for some time now, but the timing hasn’t been right… till NOW! We are so excited to be able to connect with you through this platform and can’t wait to share with you all the exciting things we have planned!

We currently have a little Etsy shop where we sell fabric home decor and kitchen items. We love making products to sell and we really love sharing our homemade items with all of you, but we realized there is still so much more we could do! Our goal for this space is to share all of our Home Grown *wink wink* tips, tricks, projects and more that make our house a home in the hopes that you will be inspired to take what you see, run with it and do so with yours.

Here you will find everything from sewing projects, gardening tips, to favorite recipes, along with home decor ideas and DIY’s.

We are so glad that you are here and can’t wait to go on this new adventure with you! In the mean time pop on over to our Meet Us page to get to know us a little better.

Jackie & Amanda