A Simple Entryway Project

I've had this bench, sans cushion, in my entryway for years. The whole time I've been meaning to make a cushion for it.  Do you ever find that when you finally take on a project that is long overdue you wonder why you put it off for so long?

Burlap pillows have been trendy for a while, thanks in part to some pricey versions in fancy-schmancy catalogs.   I've seen tutorials on how to make such pillows, and they tend to include things such as fabric paint and stencils.  I didn't do any of that.

I used this:

In retrospect, a stencil (or at least drawing my script on with a pencil first!) may have been a good idea.  My lettering turned out a little funny.  You live, you learn.

I'll spare you the instructions on pillow making, because I'm confident that you all know how to sew a rectangle and stuff it, but I will show you how I added the ruffle.

I gathered the ruffle by hand, but it can be done on a sewing machine with a large zig-zag stitch over a piece of thick thread or dental floss.  The zig-zags create a trough for the floss to sit in and the ruffle can be gathered by scrunching the fabric along the floss.

I pinned the ruffle, facing in, to the right side of one pillow piece. Sew it in place before placing the other pillow piece on top and sewing.  It seems tempting to just sandwich the ruffle between the pillow pieces to begin with and sew away, but in my experience that causes the ruffle to look a little bit wonky.  Nobody wants a wonky ruffle...

I like it, although I'm noticing that bench could really use a new coat of paint.  Maybe I'll get around to it in a year or two...