A Christmas Craft

I saw a tutorial online about how to turn placemats into pillows. What a great idea! A placemat usually ranges from $3.00 to $8.00 in price, which is much cheaper than purchasing 1/2 yard of fabric at the store, especially if you're like me and always seem drawn to the fabric that is not on sale, of limited quantity and is thirty bucks more expensive than the rest of the fabrics (does this happen to anyone else?). I got from my placemat from Target's seasonal section, since I wanted to make Christmas pillows. Their Christmas tableware was all 25% off, so I bought four placemats for around $12.00 total. Not only is a placemat cheaper, but the bulk of the work is finished for you since the it is already sewn into a rectangle. Win!

I enjoy sewing, but the bravest I get with my Kenmore 358 is to stitch a straight line. Unless my mom is in town and graciously offers to help me with my twelve unfinished sewing project. My mom makes gorgeous things - throw pillows, napkins, sewing machine covers, darling little girl clothing, baby blankets and curtains (with pleats - gasp!) just to name a few. When she helps me, I make sure she is comfortable at my kitchen table as I "Ooo and Aahh" over her shoulder and supply her with a steady stream of hot Lipton tea and homemade lemon bars (the only dessert I'm good at making).

But good news! This project doesn't require a needle and thread OR a mom who is a sewing goddess. All you need is a hot glue gun and some poly fill.

Here are the steps:

First, I ripped the seams in the middle of one side until there was about a three inch hole big enough for my hand to go through (my hands the same size as an eight-year-old). Then I opened it up and filled it with poly fill that I already had on hand. I'm sure you could purchase some at Joann's or Hobby Lobby for under $10. After I stuffed it to where I liked its fluffiness, I pinned down the opening to secure it from busting open while the hot glue dried. I placed my pins an inch from the edge of the pillow, allowing me that inch of space to hot glue right on the edge. I allowed fifteen minutes for the glue to set before I removed my pins.

Then, you get this beautiful pillow that everyone will think you worked hours in when it really only took you less than twenty minutes: