Friday, February 28, 2014

ikea sham hack

I'm consistently drawn to neutrals. I love white, natural and  gray. But as this bitterly cold and dreary February has dragged on, I've needed some color. I stopped at Ikea on the way home from NYC last week. Roaming the aisles on my own was a first... I'd never been by myself! The combination of that leisurely pace and my penchant for bright popping colors led me directly to a pile of zippered rainbow shams. The pure happiness of those stripes made me pop one into my big blue Ikea bag- just because. It was a daring move... even if I have been craving colors. I suddenly understood one of my best friends love for rainbow colored fabric and yarn. And then realized it was for her. But not as a pillow. It would be a tote to carry her yarn or millions of books.

It already had a zipper at the top to take advantage of. I added two red straps.  Then I boxed the corners with 4 inch seams. It was super fast and equally satisfying. Must have been those stripes of happy.
 Set against our endless winter backdrop, it's a lovely bag of cheer! So, if you're seeking a fun and simple sew, look no further than a zippered sham to turn into an easy tote. Add rainbow stripes to get you through to spring... we're almost there!

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7 comments:

  1. What a wonderful shot of color on a dreary day!

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  2. This is such a clever idea and it's true - that shot of color is much needed these days!

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  3. I love it...makes me want to run right up to IKEA and pick up a few pillowcases. Although no snow in Austin, it has been gray, cold and dreary far too much this winter. I try to combat all the gray with colorful clothing to brighten my day.

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  4. and we use it the way it is supposed to be used - covering some pillows. loving the idea!

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  5. What a great idea- AND the zipper is already there! So helpful for fear of zipper sewers (like myself). Stripes of happy indeed!

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