Time Was Ticking...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  I think I sat down yesterday for the first time in 5 days.  The holidays are exhausting, especially if you are pregnant!

I somehow managed to throw together the ottoman "packages" before everyone came over to the house for soup and candy house making.  I really should have left this project for next year instead of trying to cram it in last minute but...

Slipcover Packages

Project Rankings
Difficultly - Easy
Frustration Level - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it!

Materials
Fabric
Ribbon
Bow

Warning! I just kind of threw these together not really caring if my seams were good or anything.  They are going to sit under my table for decoration so I didn't take any great pains.  If you are looking for a precise tutorial with perfect corners you came to the wrong place!

Step #1:
Measure the dimensions of what you want to cover and then add some extra for seam allowance.  You want your slipcovers to be pretty snug but not too snug that you can't get them on.  I ended up adding 1 inch to each of the sides using a 1/4 inch seam allowance with left about 3/4's of give which seemed to work out great.

Step #2:
This is the hardest part especially if you don't have square ottoman's.  Lay out all of your pieces so that you know which sides connect to each other.  I actually got messed up (I am going to blame pregnant brain) and ended up having to rip out a ton of seams the first time I tried to assemble one of them.  I worked one side at a time pinning them together and then sewing with a 1/2 seam allowance.  I did leave about 1/2 inch open on each end of the piece.  This allows you to turn under the bottom edge to make it look nice.  It also allows you to piece together the corners.

Step #3:
When you get to a corner just kind of bunch and pin all of the pieces together (as shown in the picture and sew all the way to the edge to finish up your corner.

Step #4:
When you get to your last piece you may have to make an adjustment to make your slip cover a bit tighter.  I ended up sewing a 1 inch seam allowance for the final piece as 1/2 inch would have made the cover a bit sloppy.  Again this is a really rough decorative/non-function cover so I improvised.

Step #5:
Note:  I did not do this step but if you want a more finished look you can turn under all of your bottom edges and sew them.  I just kind of tucked mine under the ottoman for this year...maybe next year I will finish the seams (but probably not).

Step #6:
Put your bows on.  I crapped out an bought a bow for the top of my ottomans.  My bow making abilities leave a lot to be desired.  Done.

What do you do with a toilet room?

Nesting...it is a real phenomenon that pregnant women tend to go through.  It is the drive to make your home ready for a baby.  The husband does not believe that this is a real condition.  He believes it is an excuse women have made-up to go shopping and force their husbands to do projects around the house.  He can believe what he wants but as the wife is the one growing the baby she calls the shots.

My main nesting focus has been organization and maximizing storage space.  We are lucky to have a large amount of storage space already but for some reason I just envision that as soon as the little one arrives she will take over every inch of space with diapers, bath paraphernalia, headbands and bows, toys, and of course...clothes!

I don't like clutter.  I like things to have a place that is easily accessible.
 
I wanted make a bit more storage space in the extra bathroom that will become baby bath central.  My focus was clearing/cleaning out the linen closet so that it could be used for baby bath items.  Up until this project the extra bathroom linen closet was used for towel storage for all bathrooms, including the master bath.  I didn't want a bunch of homeless towels so space needed to be created somewhere else. 

Do any of you have a toilet room?  A toilet room is a complete waste of space in a master bedroom that only houses a toilet.  While some, including the husband, might argue that function alone is important enough I couldn't help but feel we were wasting a storage opportunity.

Pinterest to the rescue!

I stumbled upon this great usage of space from laramarkdesigns on the HGTV website...just add some shelves!  I loved the chunky look so the husband came up with the following plan that used 2x4's.  It ended up being a pretty cheap project, looks great, and provides some extra storage space freeing up the baby bath room. 

Win, Win, Win!


Chunky Wood Shelves

Project Rankings
Difficulty - Medium (You do need wood working tools including a planer)
Frustration - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it!

Materials
2x4's
1x4's
Stain or Paint
Wood Glue

Instructions

Step #1: Determine the number of shelves you want and the desired length and width.  The width will just be how many 2x4's you want to glue together.  We ended up using 4 2x4's so the total width was about 16 inches.  The husband used 1x4's to rest the shelves on instead of trying to anchor the shelves to the walls themselves.  If you want more of a "floating shelf" type look you may want to figure out a way to direct mount the shelves to the wall and skip the 1x4 shelving brackets.  If you want to use the shelving brackets you will need to measure the following for each shelf....2 pieces that are the shelf width minus 1 inch (the width of the 1x4), and 1 piece that is the length of the shelf. 

Step #2:  Cut all of your 2x4's to length and glue them together with wood glue.  Clamp the pieces to together and allow to fully dry.  ***A tip from the husband is to try and find some fairly straight/non-warped 2x4's it will make gluing and the next step easier.***

Step #3: Cut your 1x4's if you are making the shelving brackets.

Step #4:  Once your shelves are dry you will need to run them through a planer to get them smooth.  If you don't have a planer you can probably use a sander to get some of the smaller height differences in the wood buffed out. 

Step #5: After wiping down your shelves to get rid of the sawdust you are ready to paint or stain your shelves.  You will also want to stain/paint your 1x4's.

Step #6: Install your shelving brackets by placing the long piece at the back of your wall.  This piece will go from edge to edge of your wall.  Next install your 2 side pieces.  They will butt up against the back piece shelving bracket which is why they are 1 inch shorter than the width of your shelf.  Take care to get your shelving brackets level or else your shelves will not be flat and they might wobble.  No one like a wobbly shelf!

Step #7: Place your shelves on the brackets and enjoy your new found storage space.

Cloth-Laundry Room Finishing Touches-Mini Fabric Clothesline

It is always fun to get a big project to the point of decorating.  A few DIY projects can really pull together a room.

I am going to split these projects into a few postings...so here we go with part one!

I wanted to try and incorporate as many laundry room touches into the decor as possible.  So how about a cute mini clothesline complete with coordinating fabric pants and shirts....let's do it!

Project Ranking
Difficultly - Easy
Frustration - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it

Materials
Clothesline (or rope of some sort)
Fabric
Clothespins
Spray paint

Step #1: Spray paint your clothes pins if you want.  I wanted them to match my yellow and black decor.  I didn't take any special care when spray painting as I knew they were going to be up high and little boo-boos would not be seen.  If your going to put your clothesline up front and personal you may want to make sure your coverage is good and there are no goobers.

Step #2: Draw a pattern for the clothes pieces you want to cut out of fabric.  I am crafty, not artsy so I limited my patterns to a chunky shirt and pants.  A little dress would also be cute.

Step #3: Cut out your clothing pieces from cute fabric. and hang on your clothesline with your painted clothespins. 

Bam, done!

Cloth - DIY Berry Lemonade Bar

Is there anything more quintessential summer than lemonade?

The husband and I host a family BBQ this year for Memorial Day.  I decided to jazz up my lemonade a bit and make a "build your own lemonade bar."

Super easy, a bit unexpected, and yummy fun!

Step #1: Make your favorite lemonade recipe.
 -You probably want to keep the recipe fairly simple as you don't want really strong flavors to overpower your fruit syrups.

Step #2: Make simple syrups using your favorite berry or fruit.
-Basic Simple Syrup Recipe
 *1 cup sugar
 *1 cup water
 *1 cup fruit
 **Heat all ingredients to a boil and simmer for ~15 minutes
 **While things are simmering I did try to mush up the berries a bit so that I could get the most flavor out of them.
 **Remove from heat and pour through a strainer to remove any of the big fruit chunks.  Make sure the container you are straining into is heat safe as your syrup will be very hot at this point.

NOTE:  I was not really impressed with the blackberry syrup I made.  It may have been my blackberries as they were not very flavorful to begin with..the strawberry and raspberry turned out great.  I can't wait to try peaches once they are in season.

Step #3: Find containers to dispense your syrups. 
 -I used some cheapo vinegar bottles with spouts but you could use cute glass milk bottles or whatever else you have on hand.

Step #4: Cut up fresh fruit/berries to match your syrups and put out spoons for your guests to scoop the fruit into their lemonade masterpieces.

Step #5: Label your syrups with a cute tag. 
 -My printer decided to act up on me before the party so I ended up hand writing the ones for my actual party, not as cute as the printed one but they got the job done!

Have your guests fill up their glasses, mix in flavors to their hearts content, and enjoy the summer weather!

Cloth-Painting a Rug and Other Such Nonsense

I am not exactly sure what possessed me to do this project but I did.  I suspect the key word here is possessed.

The husband and I were in Lowe’s a couple of months ago and I saw this rug perched on a sales rack in the middle of the aisle.

*Perfect size for the laundry room = CHECK

*Exact pattern design I wanted = CHECK

*Amazingly low sale price = CHECK

*Black & white = BIG FAT NO

Three out of four ain’t bad, right?

When I pointed the rug out to the husband and told him how perfect I thought it would be for the laundry room the following conversation played out…

Husband: You know it is orange, right?

Wife: I know, I’m going to paint it.

Husband: You can paint rugs?

Wife: Sure people do it all of the time on Pinterest.

Husband: Just because people do stupid things and post them on Pinterest doesn’t make it a good idea.

True there are a bunch of painted rug tutorials floating around on Pinterest.  However they all assume that you are taking a blank rug and adding some sort of pattern to it where you tape off your pattern and pretty much roll paint over the entire rug.

How much harder would it be to take an existing pattern and paint over part of it….?  I had to try.  I figured even if it ended up looking like total crap I would only be out about 8 bucks.  

Long live stupidity!

Step 1: I did a bit of research and most of the people painting rugs recommended using a fabric additive to mix with your paint.  I didn’t expect or need a fluffy soft rug as it was destined for the laundry room but I didn’t want a rock hard unbending mass either.  I ended up using a Martha Stewart fabric paint medium additive, it seemed to do the trick.

Step 2: I mixed my paint with the additive according to the directions on the additive container.  2 parts paint to 1 part additive.

Step 3: Initially I thought I might try to tape over the white lines to ensure I didn’t get black everywhere.  I quickly abandoned that plan after a few minutes as it was going to take forever to get everything lined-up correctly.  Sometimes you just have to go for it!  Using a small foam brush I carefully dabbed paint along the white edge of each of the patterns.  I will admit my first couple outlines were not the best and that part of the rug is positioned the furthest away from the laundry room door.  I did eventually get the hang of it and subsequent patterns looked much sharper. 

Is the rug perfect, nope.  Does it look pretty darn good, good enough for a laundry room…heck yes! 

Even the skeptical husband conceded that the rug turned out not too shabby.

Gotta go post my stupidity to Pinterest.

Cloth-Quick Project-Baby Car Seat Canopy Tutorial

Holy cow I am not even sure where last week went!  All I know is that I didn't get much done in the way of crafts or home projects.  I did however manage to make a car seat canopy for one of my employees that is having a baby boy in the next couple of weeks.

I guess that counts as crafty, right?

Last year I was on a mission to find a pattern for the cute baby covers I had been seeing everywhere.  I didn't have much luck on the web and even finding a pattern I could buy on ETSY wasn't as easy as I thought it should have been.  I ended up pulling together a few different techniques and making some tweeks here and there.  Everyone seems to go about sewing these in a slightly different manner.  You can get pretty crazy with rick-rack and embellishments but I tend to like them a bit simpler.

Here's what works for me.

Project Rankings
Difficulty - Easy
Frustration - Low
Make-ability - 100% worth it


Materials
2 kinds of fabric each 1 1/4 yard ( I usually get 1 1/2 to be sure)
Fusible interfacing (~l/4 yard)
2 Buttons (1 inch diameter)
4 inches 5/8 wide sewable velcro (do not get the sticky kind, it will mess up your needle..don't ask how I know)
Ribbon (16 inches of 1 1/2 inch wide ribbon)
Compass (for drawing)


Instructions

Step #1: Cut a 42 x 36 inch rectangle from each fabric. Determine which fabric will be the top of your canopy and which will be the underside.  You will also need to determine the direction you want your fabrics to lay if there is a pattern that has a particular direction.
   **Note if you have a directional pattern the 36 inch side goes across the baby carrier from side to side while the 42 inch side goes from front to back.


Step #2: Create a template for rounded corners.  Take a piece of paper and line it up as shown in the picture by either using a cutting mat or ruler.  Measure 2 inches along each side then 2 inches up.  Place a compass point on the upper point.  Extend the compass pencil out so that it hits both marks along the edge.  Draw a line.  Cut along the line and you have a pattern for rounding your corners!

Step #3:  Line up your rounded pattern along each edge of your 2 fabric rectangles.  Pin your pattern to the fabric, trace and cut.  You should end up with 4 rounded corners on each of your 2 fabric pieces.

Step #4: Determine which of your 2 fabrics you want to use for your handles.  I typically choose the fabric that I selected for my underside.  I like the contrast against the other pattern.  Cut 4 10x4 inch pieces.
  **Note if you have a directional pattern the 10 inch side goes front to back while the 4 inch side goes side to side.

Step #5: Cut 2 9x3 inch pieces of fusible interfacing. 

Step #6: Take 2 of your small 10x4 handle pieces and iron on the interfacing to the WRONG side of the fabric.  This will give your handles a bit more strength. 

Step #7: Take one of the pieces with interfacing and one of the plain fabric handle pieces and pin them right sides together.  Sew 3 of the 4 sides together (leave on of the short sides open) with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  You need to leave one side open so that you can turn the handle right side out. Repeat with the other handle pieces. 

Step #8: Carefully clip the corners and turn the handles right side out.  Fold the open side under ~1/2 and press all sides.  I typically pin the open side shut.  Sew a 1/8 inch top stitch around all 4 sides of each handle. 

Step #9: Cut 2 2 inch pieces of each side of the velcro (one side is the scratchy side, the other side is soft).  Fold your straps in thirds and iron the creases.  I don't measure this or anything just fold and press. 

Step #10: On the upper side of the first fold (see picture) eyeball the middle of the strap and pin one of your scratchy velcro pieces.  On the upper side of the other fold place one of the smooth pieces of velcro in the middle of the strap and pin.  Double check that the pieces line up when you fold the pieces together like you were closing the strap.  If they line up correctly sew the velcro onto the strap as close to the edge of the velcro as possible.  Sew the other piece.  Repeat all steps for the second handle.

Step #11: Cut 2 8 inch long pieces of your ribbon.  Fold your ribbon into thirds like you did your fabric handles.  Position your ribbon onto one of your fabric handles, center your button, and sew the button onto the fabric handle.  You will be sewing through the ribbon as well as the velcro and fabric.  Repeat for the second handle.

Step #12: This step is my least favorite.  It is kind of tricky to work with the big fabric rectangles.  Find a large work space and line up your 2 large fabric rectangles right sides together.  You will want to put pins fairly close together as working with this much fabric things tend to shift around a bit.
  **A couple of tips.  Make sure your fabric is completely smoothed out before you begin pinning.  You don't want wrinkles between the 2 fabrics once you start pinning.  Don't panic if your pieces don't seem to match up 100%.  I usually have to trim a bit here and there to have them layout perfectly.

Step #13: Sew all around your pinned 2 pieces using a 1/2 seam allowance making sure you leave about a 6 inch opening (not sewed) along one of the edges (it don't matter what edge) so that you can turn the cover right side out. 

Step #14: Clip your corners.  Because these are large rounded corners I typically notch them a few times.  Turn your cover right side out.

Step #15: Turn your opening under 1/2 inch and pin.  Press your seam all the way around the cover.  Sew a 1/8 inch top stitch all around the cover sewing the opening close.  Now your ready to attach your handles!

Step #16: Fold your cover in half matching up the 2 36inch sides.  Measure 11 1/2 inches from one of the outer sides.  The right hand side of one of your handles should line up against the 11 1/2 inch position.  Measure 3/4 inch down from the fold side.  Position the top of your handle along the 3/4 inch position.  Open your handle and pin in place on the one fold of the handles that does not have either piece of velcro.  Repeat on the other side of the canopy for the second handle.
  **Note the handle should open toward the open side of the bottom of the canopy, away from the fold.

Step #17: Sew your handle down by stitching a 2 inch line about 1 inch down from the top fold on the handle, and then from the bottom fold on the handle (see picture).  Repeat for the other handle and you are finally done!

Nothing too hard with this one but there are a bunch of steps! 

 

Cloth - Easy Chevron Laundry Wall Art

When I started planning the laundry remodel I knew I wanted to incorporate a bunch of fun patterns.  What is more fun or trendy than chevron!

I am so excited to finally get to share this project.  I actually finished these up a few weeks ago but didn't want to show them off until I could put them up on the black and white stripped wall. 

Swoon...I am in love!

Project Ranking
Difficulty - Easy
Frustration - Low
Makeability - 100% Worth It

Materials
Fabric
Card stock paper
Cricut (or some other stencil method)
Frames
Cutting Mat (optional)

My frames were from Ikea.  I wanted pretty thin frames as I didn't want them to stick out from the wall too much as the space in the laundry room is pretty tight.  I didn't want to keep getting caught on the frames and yanking them off of the wall.

Instructions

Step 1 - Iron and measure out your fabric. 

Step 2 - Decide on your wording, size, and font.  Cut out your letters.

Step 3 - In order to easily arrange the lettering in the frame I used a quilt cutting mat.  I arranged my frame face down.  Lay out your letters facing backwards until you get the location and the spacing you like.  You can use the hash marks on the mat to get even spacing.  Carefully fold the fabric down over the letters.  This is the trickiest part as the letters could move a bit on you.  I didn't glue my letters down in anyway but that would probably work out great.

Step 4 - Close up and hang.  Easy peasy.

Cheap and quick wall art.

I am really happy with the way the color and pattern contrasts against the black and white wall.  The laundry room is starting to all come together...finally.

Cloth - Quick Project - Bunnies and Bunting

Did you know Easter is next week?  I have no idea how that happened and no one consulted me. 

I am ashamed to say that until a few days ago I still had up all of my St. Patty's day decorations.  I knew there was a reason why I never put up St. Patrick's day decs before.  There is no time between Valentine's Day and Easter! 

With visitor's coming for the weekend I had to get my keester in gear, take the leprechaun legs down, and get some bunnies up. 



Project #1: Spring Bunting

No big whoop here.  Fabric + Ribbon = Bunting

Project #2: Spring pictures for my frame gallery in the reading nook.

Project #3: Fabric Bunnies

Instructions for these super cute bunnies along with a pattern can be found from  The Long Thread for Etsy.


As you can see I ended up leaving the faces off of mine.  I was going for a bit more primitive feel.  I may end up putting faces on later...I can't decide.  They were originally designed to be used as bowling pins for a children's game but the weighted bottoms (I used beans instead of rice) make for nice stand-up decorations.

They came together really quick with low frustration which is a great quality in a last minute craft project.

Project Ranking:
Difficulty- Easy
Frustration - Low
Make-ability - 100% worth it

You won't be able to make just one...you know bunnies...if you make one you will end up with a bunch of them in the end.

Wood - Quick Project - Repurposed Bathroom Vanity Router Table

It is a complete buzz-kill when you are super excited about a new project only to realize that you don’t have all of the tools necessary to even get started.  Missing a key item or plan can not only completely derail your project but also your enthusiasm. 
 
With visions of black and yellow chevron dancing through my head I figured we would be able to start the laundry room remodel ASAP.  Unfortunately the husband informed me that neither of the 2 router tables he had would be able to handle the large router bit needed to make the cabinetry portion of the laundry room project. 

Bummer…

Most people would probably just go buy a router table at this point.  The husband found that option unacceptable.  Apparently we are both gluttons for punishment and both get frustrated when items that can most likely be made cheaply are overpriced at the store.  So instead of shelling out 100 bucks for a router table the husband build one for 17 dollars.

Inspiration usually hits at odd times…like when you are watching an episode of Criminal Minds and the killer ("unsub" for all you Criminal Minds junkies) has just finished chopping someone up into tiny pieces.  I am not sure what synaptic connection was made in the husbands mind but apparently watching the carnage unfold on the screen made him realize that he could build a router table out of an old bathroom vanity.  Don’t waste your time trying to figure that one out.   The human mind is crazy and the male mind doesn’t think in any logical manner that I have been able to decipher.
  

I digress... 

If you are looking for an used home item and have a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore we highly recommend you check it out.  They have a ton of items in relatively good condition for great prices.  Plus the money goes to a good cause.  Win, win.

We ended up finding the perfect piece for only 5 dollars.  When we asked the employee how much they were charging he tried to convince us that we didn’t want the beat-up old thing.  “It doesn’t have a door.”  “The top is missing.” “It is ugly.”  He actually seemed torn asking us for a whole five dollars.  One man’s garbage is another man’s router table...and as a bonus it had a small drawer for router bit storage.

As all routers and accessories are different this is not really a tutorial just a general description of the steps the husband took to make his 17 dollar masterpiece.

Project Ranking

Difficulty –Moderate

Frustration –Low

Makeability – 100% Worth It


Step 1: Cut board to desired size for the top of the router table.  The husband used an MDF board.

Step 2: Measure and cut opening for router as well as holes for anchoring and installing the router fence and guard. (Necessary for keeping all of the husbands fingers intact!)

Step 3: Mount the router guard on the top of the router table.

Step 4: Mount the router housing upside down underneath the table top inside the cabinet.

Step 5: In order to make the router easy to use it was necessary to install a switch for the power controls.  If you are familiar with routers you will know that if you are using your router unattached to a table (by holding it in your hands) you have to depress the triggers on the handles to engage the power.  So if you now have it mounted inside your cabinet you will not be able to depress the power triggers.  The husband used a power switch from one of his old router tables and rigged up the handles to always be in the “on” position.   This way the power is controlled through the power switch and not on the handles themselves.  The wife was pretty impressed with his thinking on this one.  She was also concerned that this may lead to additional finger cutting off opportunities….  After seeing the final setup it seems safe but as a disclaimer Wood and Cloth have no idea if this project will lead to your fingers getting cutoff so if you choose to do it and cut off your fingers it is your own fault for following instructions you found online from people that have no qualifications for giving instructions on how to modify fast moving sharp objects.

Step 6:  Finally the husband routed out a guide for a miter gauge. I had originally called this a wood pusher but apparently that wasn't the technical term. 

All in all a great cheap project and we are now one step closer to starting the laundry room redo!  Time to order some wallpaper.

Cloth-Quick Project-Ruffled Rainbow Pillow

While the husband was away playing tennis this past week I decided to spend the night with Roy G. Biv.

Scandalous!

I needed a splash of St. Patty's day color and cheer upstairs in the reading nook so a fun scrappy rainbow pillow seemed to fit the bill.

Project Ranking
Difficultly - Moderate
Frustration - Low
Makeability - 100% Worth It!


Materials
Rainbow Fabrics
*I used broadcloth but if you don't want it to fray so much you may want to use a bulkier type fabric like a good quality quilt cotton.
*To make the pattern as written below you will need 1 1/2 inch wide strips by 42 inch long for each of the colors you choose.  If you get 1/8 of a yard of each you will have extra material.
Backing Fabric (main body of the pillow)
*The pillow is 17 inches x 20 inches.  You will need 2 pieces of that size.
Quilt Batting (Optional)
*I used a very light weight linen fabric so I added a piece of batting to each linen panel.  When stuffing with Polyfill for pillows I have found adding the batting makes the pillow look less lumpy in the end.
Polyfill
Threads of various colors

Step 1: Cut your backing and batting fabrics (if desired).  You will need 2 of each at 17 x 20 inches.

Step 2: Cut your rainbow strips.  Each color will be 42 inches long x 1 1/2 inches.

Step 3: Prepare your rainbow fabric strips for gathering.  I use the 2 string method for making gathers.  If you have never gathered before it really is quite easy. 
First you will need to put your sewing machine on the longest stitch setting you have available.  Position your fabric strip the long way under your sewing foot (you will sew the 42 inches) and sew long straight stitches at a 5/8 inch seam.  Clip your strings.  Flip your strip around and sew another long straight stitch 5/8 on the other side as shown below.  Repeat for all colors.

NOTE:  A couple of tips when sewing the gathering stitch guides.  You do not need to sew using matching thread as you will be removing these threads later so any color will work.  As you will need something to hang onto when doing the gathering you will want to leave about 5 inches of length on each of your threads.  Also be sure NOT to put in a setting stitch or backstitch as you need to be able to pull the gathering stitch guides out later on.

Step 4: Find the middle of each of your sewed color strips.  Pinch the middle with your finger and gently pull both of your looser thread, typically the bobbin threads, so the fabric bunches up as seen below.  Bunch up the other side so the entire strip is bunchy (is that a word, is it spelled right?)

Step 5: Take one of your backing pieces.  You will be marking 3 dots. 
First mark is at 10 inches (on the 20 inch side) and 3 1/2 inches from the top.  This mark will be where you place the middle of the red strip.
Second mark is 2 inches from the right side and 4 inches from the bottom.  This is where the right side of the red strip of the rainbow will start.
Third mark is 2 inches from the left side and 4 inches from the bottom.  This is where the left side of the red strip of the rainbow will end.

Step 6: Pin the middle of the red strip at the mark you made.  Gently spread out your ruffles so that the ends of your strip hit the other 2 marks you made.  Pin the strip in a semi-circle pattern.  The red strip needs to go the furthest so you will need to adjust your ruffles so that you have enough length.  If you pull out too many of your gathers no problem.  You can always scrunch it back up again.

Step 7: Make sure your sewing machine is set back to your normal stitch length (back from the long stitch you used while making the gathering stitches). Sew down the middle of the 2 gathering stitches using a coordinating color of thread.  You will want to set these stitches as they are not coming back out.  Do NOT pull out the gathering stitches yet.

Step 8: Using the gathering stitch as a guide pin your next strip ~5/8 inch from each other.  Sew and pin each color.
NOTE:  You will end up with some extra length on each of your remaining color strips. You will only want to sew down your strips to the same point as your red strip.  You will cut of the extra later. 

Step 9: Gently pull out your guide stitches by pulling the at the bobbin threads.  I will say this was a bit tricky because of the curves in the strips.  When in doubt whip out your seam ripper.

Step 10: Cut off the bottoms of your strips so they are all the same length.

Step 11: Pin your batting (if using) to the back of each of the backing pieces (one will have your rainbow on it).

Step 12: Pin your backing pieces right sides together and stitch using ~5/8 seam allowance.  Make sure you leave yourself at least 4-5 inches of opening to turn your pillow out.  Clip any excess seam and clip your corners.

Step 13: Turn out your pillow and poke out your corners using a bamboo stick.

Step 14: Stuff to desired fluffiness with Polyfill and sew your opening closed.

Now all you need is a pot of gold!