21808325 Sew Liberated cloth bags hand made

Materials 26" (66 cm) square pillow form 7 ⁄8 yd of 42" (106.5 cm) wide linen or cotton/linen blend for pillow front 7 ⁄8 yd of 42" (106.5 cm) wide cotton for the pillow backs

⁄ 8 yd of 42" (106.5 cm) wide coordinating cotton for the ties

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Fabric scraps (around 6" [15 cm] wide) for leaf appliqués 1 package of 20 × 26" (51 × 66 cm) Sulky® Stiffy™ tear-away stabilizer Fusible Web for appliquéd leaves Coordinating sewing thread for tree trunks and leaf appliqués Leaf templates in Appendix A

Tie-back Floor Pillow

Tools Darning foot for your sewing machine Measuring tape

This organic-chic floor pillow is perfect for pulling up to watch a movie in comfort or just to set the tone

French curve (optional)

as a personalized living room accessory. The slightly

Fabric marking pen

funky appliquéd leaf design gives this pillow a bou-

note:

Seam allowances are ½" (1.3 cm) unless otherwise indicated.

tique look, while a soft pillow insert makes it a comfy addition to your living space.

Don’t have a large pillow insert to make the floor pillow? Make a custom square pillow cover using the same technique! Here’s a chart with the cut dimensions of your fabric: Pillow Size

Cut 1 Pillow Front

Cut 2 Pillow Backs

12" (30.5 cm) square

13 × 13" (33 × 33 cm)

13 × 8" (33 × 20.5 cm)

14" (35.5 cm) square

15 × 15" (38 × 38 cm)

15 × 9" (38 × 23 cm)

16" (40.5 cm) square

17 × 17" (43 × 43 cm)

17 × 10" (43 × 25.5 cm)

18" (45.5 cm) square

19 × 19" (48.5 × 48.5 cm)

19 × 11" (48.5 × 28 cm)

20" (51 cm) square

21 × 21" (53.5 × 53.5 cm)

21 × 12" (53.5 × 30.5 cm)

22" (56 cm) square

23 × 23" (58.5 × 58.5 cm)

23 × 13" (58.5 × 33 cm)

24" (61 cm) square

25 × 25" (63.5 × 63.5 cm)

25 × 14" (63.5 × 35.5 cm)

26" (66 cm) square

27 × 27" (68.5 × 68.5 cm)

27 × 15" (68.5 × 38 cm)

28" (71 cm) square

29 × 29" (73.5 × 73.5 cm)

29 × 16" (73.5 × 40.5 cm)

sew

liberated

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bird laptop bag

rouched sleeve smock shirt

sew

liberated

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get liberated! Sew Liberated is the first how-to book of its kind to resurrect the art of appliqué for today’s generation of “sewists” looking to imbue their work with unique creative style. Today’s sewists will learn hand- and machine-appliqué techniques for use outside the traditional quilting context, plus how to create fabric collages.

Inside readers will learn: The history of appliqué and how it was rediscovered in the fiber arts. Appliqué and embroidery techniques incorporating beadwork, buttons, ribbons and other embellishments. Patterns for 30 modern, stylish sewing projects for various skill levels and time commitments, including aprons, skirts, pillows, bags, totes, blouses, baby quilts, and scarves. Step-by-step instructions, color photographs, and comprehensive how-to embroidery instructions.

Sew Liberated is an all-in-one resource and guide! paperback with flaps 8½ × 10¼, 144 pages 120 photographs, 160 illustrations $24.95, ISBN 978-1-59668-161-3 December 2009

about the author: A successful sew-

ing pattern designer and an internationally certified Montessori teacher, Meg McElwee is the author of the Sew Liberated crafting blog. She writes tutorials on sewing and other handmade projects and shares tidbits about her life. She lives in North Carolina with her husband.