Crowning Achievement

While decorating my Victorian Studio, not only was I concentrating on making the desk / work area functional with vintage goodies, I also wanted to ensure my seating area across the room fit into the whole theme. One of the best things about moving my art studio downstairs was the extra room... I now have a small couch to relax and watch TV. So, after covering it with a dark brown throw and a really beautiful crocheted piece I found at the thrift store for $6, I wanted to cover the new black pillows with burlap. I had found a large piece at the thrift store for $2, and for the first time wanted to try my hand at printing something appropriate on them.

If you haven't visited yet, I would highly recommend Karen's "Graphics Fairy" blog to find all kinds of wonderful artwork that is perfect for just this type of project. Karen also has great tutorials and recommends "Lesley Riley's Transfer Artists Paper", but I couldn't find it in Canada or at Archiver's at the Mall of America. Looks like I will have to order it online.

However, being the patient (*cough, cough*) person I am, I couldn't wait to try this technique, so I went over to Michael's and with a 50% coupon in hand (okay, really it was on my iPhone, since I forgot my flyer...) I purchased this for about $7:

I chose a very classic crown graphic from Karen's site and printed a mirror image out onto the transfer paper using my Epson printer. Then I carefully cut as close as I could around the image and pressed it onto the burlap using a hot iron:

So simple! Next, I cut and sewed three burlap pieces for each pillow: one with the graphic for the front and two panels for the back, slightly overlapping in the middle to allow the pillow to be inserted and removed easily.

I also went online and researched my maiden family name crest for the second pillow. This time it was imperative to print a mirror image; otherwise any type would end up being backwards after ironing it on. So here's my super-comfy seating area in my studio; a great place to watch movies and contemplate my next project.