Step away from the bedazzler and no one will get hurt!

Dear Marc:
I want to make myself some pillows. My experience as a seamstress is very limited, so the simpler the project, the better. The extent of my sewing experience came from my bedazzling phase where I liked to add “bling” to everything. Do you have a foolproof way of making a nice pillow using stuff from around the house?
Alice

Dear Alice:
Step away from the bedazzler and no one will get hurt! There is no need to take on a complicated project in order to create chic accent pillows. First things first, let’s take inventory of a few supplies needed from around the house. Do you have unused handbags and a pair of scissors? Slight alterations to a handbag can create the perfect accent pillow!

My fiancé’s accessory closet gave me inspiration for this project. She, like many other women, has an entire shelf of purses in her closet which she cherishes. Each represents a memory or coordination with her wardrobe, but there were a few bags which she hadn’t used in awhile.

I’m a firm believer that one person’s unused accessory can be another person’s treasured designer find. Therefore with a little determination, I set out to repurpose her old handbags into pillows for her seating area.

Prior to attacking her closet with a pair of scissors, I asked her which ones she could live without. I’m adventurous, not crazy. Guy tip: Don’t try this at home without supervision from the Mrs.

Supplies:
– Square or rectangular cloth handbag with zipper
– Scissors
– Needle and thread (If handbag needs alterations or doesn’t have a zipper)
– Pillow batting
– Fabric paint (optional)

Step 1:
Choose a handbag that has great potential for a pillow. Square and rectangular bags with a zippered top are best as they allow you to skip over steps three to five.

Step 2:
Cut the straps off the handbag.

Step 3:
In this case, the bag needs to be altered in shape to create a perfect rectangle. To do so, cut the lining of the bag and remove the thread from the area that requires alteration. Marc’s tip: Remove any cardboard holding the bottom of the handbag in place.

Step 4:
Sew the opening using a slip stitch technique. This involves sewing from the outside of the bag in a straight line with the incisions being an eighth of an inch apart.