Finding Inspiration by Patti Campbell

🦋Finding Inspiration🦋

Hi, it's me Patti Campbell again! This post is going to be a little different from me, as this time I want to tell the story behind my inspiration.

Anyone who knows me knows that seeing live music is like going to church for me. My concert t-shirts are sacred. So when I do something that damages one, like getting a bleach stain on it, it makes me sad.  

For a long time I've been looking for a way to fix this shirt. Then one day it popped into my head to fix the bleach stain using more bleach (on an ArtFoamie). After checking with Kae Pea to make sure the bleach wouldn't ruin the Artafoamies, I pulled out Sandra Evertson's Bonehead ArtFoamie and got to work.

I tried applying the bleach on the ArtFoamies a couple different ways, and started experimenting on scrap pieces of fabric. What worked best for me was putting the bleach on a sponge, and gently tapping the ArtFoamie onto the sponge. Then I used a nice, clean brush to spread the bleach around the stamp, being careful to only get the bleach where I wanted it. This gave me the best image. 

When I was happy with my results on the scrap fabric, I laid out my t-shirt. I took a plastic placemat and slid it inside the shirt to ensure the bleach would not go through to the back of the shirt. 

Fixing this shirt inspired me to make a pillow cover.

For this project I used:

• some small pieces of black fabric in various sizes

• orange and yellow batique fabric 23" x 57"
• rainbow colored thread
• Clorox bleach
• a new, clean sponge
• a small flat brush
• 22" x 22" pillow form
• sewing machine
• plastic mat
• iron
• pins
• and the following ArtFoamies:

Queen Bee by Gypsy Soul

Whimsy Wings by Kae Pea

Intricate Butterfly by Donna Downey

Woman Power by Einat Kessler

Step 1:

I ironed the pieces of black fabric and laid them out on a plastic mat.

Step 2:

I put the new sponge in a dish and poured the bleach over the sponge.

Step 3:

I paired the Woman Power stamp with the Whimsy Wings stamp, and using the bleach on the sponge as mentioned above, stamped it onto my rectangular pieces of black fabric. On the smaller pieces of black fabric I stamped the Queen Bee, and on the big square of black fabric I stamped the Intricate Butterfly stamp twice.

Step 4:

I allowed them to dry completely and then I folded the edges under and pressed with an iron.

Step 5:

I measured the pillow and then folded the batique fabric with right sides together to equal 22". Then I pressed the side seams with the iron. 

Step 6:

I opened the fabric back up, and using the pressed seams as a guide, I laid the black stamped fabric on what will be the front of the pillow cover how I liked them and pinned them in place. 

Step 7:

I then stitched the black fabric pieces onto the batique fabric using my sewing machine.

Step 8:

I hemmed the two ends that would become the back opeing of the pillow cover for a nice, clean edge. 

Step 9:

I once again folded the batique fabric right sides together in the same place I had before (along the pressed seams), and I pinned the two raw edges.

Step 10:

I sewed the two raw edges with a 3/4" seam allowance. 

Step 11:

I turned the pillow cover right side out, and inserted the pillow form. Now I have a beautiful, decorative pillow to brighten my living room.