The alm Project – Diary of a Crafty Insomniac

I am in the process of doing a mini make over on my back patio. I am planning to spending a lot more time out there doing hand embroidery – I have a few unfinished projects that I would like to complete.  I wanted to add some pillows to my patio chairs  – the plan is the more comfortable I am, the more I will get done:)

Outdoor canvass drop cloth pillow

 The Pillow Process

Out door pillows are relatively inexpensive – you can pick them up at any big box store for between $13 and $20.00. However, if you prefer not to have the same pillows as your neighbors, then you can easily whip one up.

Monogrammed 'm' Pillow

I had some pieces of canvas drop cloth left over from another project (I’ll tell you about that in another post). I decided to use them for my outdoor pillow project.

• First I cut the drop cloth into 18 inch squares
• I selected a font on my computer and printed it on 11 by 17 paper.
• I used carbon paper to transfer the monogram to the fabric – I happen to have a large supply of carbon paper – I got them from an office that was going out of business.  You can pick them up at any office supply or craft store. They are sometimes called transfer paper.
• I used color craft markers to outline the letters and then filled in the outlines with a contrasting  fabric paint.
• To make the fabric water proof, I used Thermoweb Heat’n Bond Iron-On Vinyl. Follow the manufacturers instructions and apply the vinyl to the drop cloth.
• Construct your pillow.

I like the look of lower case font – I think they look casual yet sophisticated.

Century Gothic Font

I like bold colors and choosing a large font – (I used 1200 font size) – made the monogram pop.

'w' Monogrammed Pillow

Notice the rose on the left side of the ‘w’? There was a flaw in the drop cloth – a silk ribbon carnation covered that right up. I was going to add flowers to the other pillows but I decided the single rose was more interesting.

xoxo

Al