{burlap and ruffles}

I am a lover of {pillows}. Toss pillows, small or large are generally an inexpensive way to dress up a sofa, change up a bed or soften a porch swing.




Today I made this luscious beauty!
The added touch of silky {peonies} was such a lovely contrast to the burlap.

Recently I made these two pillows for a friend of mine ... I loved the mix of burlap and muslin, but wanted a pop of something a bit {dressier} for my own pillow ...

... on my newest pillow, the ruffles of shabby white muslin give the flowers so much added punch ...

 ... by extending the burlap over the end on the back side of the pillow and adding long tie closures the pillow has lots of extra {ruffly fluff} at one end ... which I {love} ...

... the floral center of the pillow is bordered with a vintage gauze like trim in a {fold-and-pleat} style ...

... the mix of textures is a great love of mine. The coarse burlap combined with soft muslin and a silky fabric just makes me want to reach out and touch it ...

... one day while I was in a fabric store I grabbed a bunch of this wonderful {silky} material. I am kicking myself for not making a note of what it actually was, because I know it was NOT silk. The price tag alone told me that. I think it may have been some sort of liner material. Whatever it was I love it and I will be hunting for more.

... the burlap was a different color. I usually gravitate to the natural brown color, but this day I found a shade just between brown and green. Not quite olive. It was lighter, interesting ...

... I am thinking of making a few more pillows similar to this to coordinate. They would make a beautiful {trio} on the sofa ... maybe one or two for the loveseat as well ...

... I used a candle to melt the edges of my {peonies} ...

... I love the way it makes some flowers darker and a bit shinier on the edges. It gives them character, much as you would see in nature ...

... one thing that I didn't really love about this project - sewing with burlap on my newish sewing machine. Those little hairs and loose weave make for quite a mess! 

... enjoy !

{ I will be linking this up to some great parties here}