Introductory Sewing: Make Your Throw Pillow
Winter Workshop | This course is completed
Enhance the interior of any room, or piece of furniture with throw pillows! In this workshop, you’ll learn how to make a pillow cover for a polyfill or down insert, suitable for use in your living room, bedroom, den or office. You will learn straight seams, a hemming technique, and how to finish your pillow either with a zipper or a button closure, or just a simple envelope pattern.
This is a good way to become more comfortable with sewing and with your machine, and learn a few new techniques. You will need to provide fabric for the cover and back, or use a contrasting or neutral material for the back. Amount will be based on the size you want for the finished product – I would not recommend going smaller than 14” square. Good weights of fabric are canvas, velvets, most upholstery fabrics, heavyweight linen, or corduroy. Lightweight cottons not recommended. CAC has a small supply of fabric which may be suitable. You may also want to bring larger buttons or a zipper for the back if you’re interested.
- If you want to buy fabric ahead, here are some great options – fabric.com is a large supplier, the rest are all local stores – nice to support them – there’s also always JoAnn, but usually a pretty poor selection.
- I would buy a yard to be safe, and we can talk about what to do with any scraps. You will want to get canvas, or denim, or other slightly heavier weight fabric – i.e. not quilting cotton. We have an extra machine needles and thread – but if you have any of those things, please feel free to bring along.
https://www.fabric.com/- https://fencelinefabrics.com/
https://chateausew.com/
https://stonemountainfabric.com/
https://www.hartsfabric.com/
https://riflepaperco.com/home-decor/fabric/canvas
Please Note: This class is planned as an in person class and we expect that it will run the full semester in person. However, there is an ongoing need to adhere to guidance and safety practices in order to safely manage the COVID-19 situation. The guidelines from state government and public health authorities change as time progresses and the CAC may need to make adjustments accordingly. It is possible that this class will transition to an online format at some point during the semester. In this case, tuition refunds will not be issued unless the CAC is unable to provide the same number of class sessions as initially planned either in person or in a remote format.
- You will need to bring your own sewing machine (the CAC has one extra to be used), and a good pair of scissors for cutting fabric and pins.
- If you have fabric of your own, please bring it - either to make your pillow or use as accents.
Susan Smythe
I was a child sewer, transitioning into making all my own clothes in high school, and then into a professional costume designer/ two-time Barrymore Award nominee, working at People’s Light and Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre, Drexel University, Swarthmore College, where I was the resident designer for both theater and dance, Mum Puppettheatre, Tribe of Fools, the Berserker residents, and others. Since 2007, I have had a small housewares and accessories company, Crooked Dog Designs. I have a particular interest in upcycling and recycling fabric and other materials, and in making people comfortable with sewing!