DIY Pillow Cover - with Sophie

Hey everyone, my name is Sophie, and I run the sewing and interior design blog, iDesigns by Sophie! I love Just Pepperminty and I'm so excited to be doing a guest post here! The first thing I sewed by myself was a pillow cover, so that's what I'll be sharing with you today.

Here's what you'll need:

• Pillow insert (for this tutorial, I used a 12 x 16 inch insert)                            
• 1/4-1/2 yard of fabric, depending on your pillow size
• Thread 
• Sewing scissors
• Rotary cutter (optional)
• Thread snips (optional)
• Pins
• Needle

(note from Juli) If you guys are looking for a place to buy a pillow insert then you should check out PillowCubes! They're currently offering a discount for Just Pepperminty readers, so go find something you like and check out with the code: 10JustPepperminty and you'll receive 10% off your order!

Step 1: Wash and iron the fabric. It's important to wash the fabric because it softens it a little but, and also rinses off whatever weird coating or chemicals that could be on it from the manufacturer. I would recommend running a quick zig-zag stitch around the edges before doing this so that the fabric doesn't fray.

Step 2: Cut the fabric to size, taking a 5/8 seam allowance into consideration on every side. So, since I was using a 12 inch x 16 inch pillow insert, I cut the fabric into two 13.25 inch x 17.25 inch pieces.

Step 3: Lay the fabric pieces on top of each other with the right sides touching each other in the middle. Then pin 3 of the 4 sides. I don't usually use too many pins; just use as many as you need!

Step 4: You've probably thinking, what about the 4th side? Since we have to insert the pillow into the cover, we can't sew all the way around. First, find the center (for this size, it was at 8.625 inches) and mark it with a pin or light pencil mark. Then, measure 5 or 6 inches out on either side of that mark, and mark those with two pins right next to each other. This is to remind you when to stop sewing!

Step 5: Sew around the cover using your sewing machine! Make sure not to use a basting stitch, it won't hold together well. When you're finished, use the thread snips to cut off the excess thread. If you don't have thread snips, scissors will work too!

Step 6: Snip the corners so that they will be sharper when you turn the cover it right side out. Then, go ahead and turn it right side out! Next, carefully insert the pillow form into the cover.

Step 7: The last step is to hand-stitch the open end using thread that matches your fabric. For this fabric, I chose white, so it wouldn't stand out. Tie it off and use the thread snips or scissors to cut off the excess thread. 

And that's it! I did this project for the first time without any sewing experience, so you can too!

Connect with me on social media: Facebook // Pinterest // Website // Blog // Etsy 

Huge thanks to Sophie for a wonderful post! Stay tuned and you'll see me popping over on her blog!

Stay Minty,

-Juli

DIY- Band Tees

Heelloo everyone. Long time no see! Again... But anyway here we are now, and hopefully you're all having a wonderful winter! (Or whatever season you're in)
Today I'm back with a DIY band tee. Band tees and fan tees are made often in my house- what can I say we're mega fangirls! This one is for the band American Authors *insert heart eye emojis* If you don't know them, I very highly recommend you click that link up there. You can most definitely do this with another band, singer, or anything else though!
So, let's get started -

Alrighty you will need: bleach pen // tee shirt // cardboard box // x-acto knife // design of choice
The tee I got was perfect for the job and on sale for $2.50, so you don't need anything too fancy! To find your design you can do a quick google search for a bands' logo, or any design you like (you could even freehand your own), print it off to the size you want it on your shirt, I made mine almost 8x10, just so it took up the whole page.

With your cardboard or a cutting mat underneath, use your x-acto knife to cut the outline of your design and tape it to the center of your shirt. If you have a double outlined piece, like the crown, keep that little guy and set it aside for later.

Once everything is cut out you can start the bleaching! You can look at the packaging of your pen to see exact directions for the brand you have. Here I used the thinner tip because of the design but it's your choice. As you squeeze it on, brush the bleach -so it's more flat then tube-ish- with your tip. In the second picture you can see why you kept the little insert! So just set it down and trace around it.
Lastly, my wonderful sister freehanded the letters for me.

Next fill up your sink- or a nice sized bowl with water. I used warm water here. Just dunk it in there and squish and squeeze it to rinse the bleach off. After the water turned rusty orange I rinsed out the bowl, filled it up again and rinsed the shirt again. That's about it! The last thing I did was throw it in the washing machine on the spin cycle for a couple of minutes and then hung it to dry!

Super easy and nice vintage/old comfy style kinda thing haha. Who are your guys' favorite bands?

If you have any questions just go ahead and leave them below!

Stay minty,
-Juli

Snow White

"Make a wish into the well, that's all you have to do, and if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true."
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I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! 2014 went by extremely quickly. If I didn't know it was January, and you asked me a few days ago how long was left to the year, I probably would've guessed a few months. Anyway, good luck to you all in the new year!
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Recently my blog had it's 1st birthday! Maybe I'll do a contest and or giveaway for this occasion? I'm still trying to decide on what it would be, but it's very likely to happen.
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Seen above is a photo I took of my lovely little sister (as most of my photos are) with my new lens!!! I am in love with it. Very in love. I'm thinking of uploading more photography in the upcoming months if you guys are interested in that:)

Stay minty,
- Juli