Some More Love Day Decor

This week we started a "Dump the Plump" challenge at my school.  It kind of copies the Biggest Loser show but we wanted to set our own rules.  It HAS to be fun to get us teachers to participate.   So the weekend was a horrible start, I mean who goes to the grocery store to buy healthy food but then drives through an unnamed fast food restaurant after?  But back on it today and pretty much hungry all day. My team probably doesn't have a chance at winning this competition.  I'm one of the those "lose weight for swimsuit season and gain it for sweater season" kind of people...but I'm also very competitive.

Right now I'm thinking of sweets which leads to "Love Day."  I finally finished up that pillow that I started over Christmas break.  The lace was a no-go but I think the poms-poms fit it perfectly.

Click HERE for the tutorial for this pillow.

I also made some placemats.  My house could use a little more love with a teenage son...or maybe not...he recently acquired a girlfriend.  Yikes!  These are pretty fun to make.  I used duck cloth on one side and outdoor canvas fabric on the other side.  I'm sure you could use duck cloth on both.  They have such cute prints in this kind of fabric.  I already spotted some more I want to buy and make more of these.

First I cut fusible interfacing to to iron on the back of the top piece.  Then I sewed all the way around at 1/4" with right sides together leaving an opening big enough to flip right side out.  I then ironed all the seams flat.  This was probably the hardest and most painful part of the whole project (my poor fingers).

Once they were flat, and the opening folded and pressed flat also, I top-stitched around again and making sure I caught the opening in my stitch.

After that, I cut out the heart backed with Heat N Bond and stitched a satin stitch around.  For more directions on this go to my A Valentine's Day Applique post.

Here is what the back side looks like.  I like that it can be flipped over and still look cute.

I even started on another project this weekend.  A while back I bought a couple of charm packs just because I liked the colorful fabric in them.  I still haven't completely decided what my pattern will be but I did make them into half-square triangles.  For now, squaring them up will take some time.  I had to buy a new rotating mat to help me.  Gotta have new tools!

Here is a layout I was playing around with.  I kind of like it but I may try some others too.