Upcycled Appliqué Pillows {For My New Studio}

Hey guys! I recently moved into my new live/work space (aka my house + room in my house) and I've been spending most of the last 2 weeks putting it together, making stuff for the space and basically just DIY-ing out! In the next few posts, I'm going to share some of my diy projects with you and ultimately show you the completed studio.

Let's start with the theme, which is bohemian. Why? Because you don't need a lot of money to design a "bohemian" space. lol Obviously, I needed the usuals like a table and chair to work at, lots of different art on the studio walls, but I also wanted a little seating nook to hang out on when I took regenerating [tea] breaks (as I thought it would help me get better at taking said breaks). I want this nook to be a seating area that's low to the ground, colorful and covered in a variety of my handmade pillows - like a somewhat Moroccan/Middle Eastern/East Indian vibe.

That's where these fabric bits and bobs come in. Over the years, I've inadvertently collected quite a few drawings on fabric. I held on to them because, well, I just couldn't throw them away. Plus, I knew they'd come in handy one day and that day arrived today.

Armed with these fabric scraps that will now become appliqués, I arranged the chosen ones on one of the deconstructed pillows. (see below pic) I deconstructed these recently-made pillows because I just wasn't crazy about them, so I turned them inside out and added my appliqués to them.

On the other deconstructed pillow, I added an appliqué of this little lady. She is a deconstructed plush doll that I made in 2007 and in 2015, she is now a pillow. :D

I love her! I love her hair, her necklace, her pretty pink + brown dress with the tassels hanging off the bottom and I absolutely love her high heeled Mary Janes! Also, I love drawing goofy characters like her!

I centered her on the pillow, pinned her in place and sewed her onto the pillow using both a zig-zag and a straight stitch. 

Here's what the stitching looks like up close.

And, that my friends, is the long tale of my new, bohemian, studio pillows. Ha, ha! :)

Upcycled Appliqué Pillow Version #1

Upcycled Appliqué Pillow Version #2