Show Me and I Can Do It (Maybe???)

I guess I must be partly a visual learner because I love to see things in pictures before I do them.  I had no idea that one could find tutorials on how to do just about anything until my friend Elizabeth started posting all the fancy things that she had been making by following tutorials.  So I was inspired to tackle some sewing projects using tutorials.  So here are the two pillows I've produced.  The one on the right has an envelope opening.  The strips of raspberry fabric are leftover from my curtains.  The proportions seem a little off but I wasn't measuring too carefully. Surprise! Surprise!  

I love the pleated pillow on the left.  The tutorial came from here.  I got tired of measuring so it's not the straightest thing in the world.  Plus I couldn't get the tension quite right on the thread.  Thankfully, I could turn all the pleats over so the puckered thread is hidden.  It took a while to make all the pleats but I ironed and sewed while someone was chatting with me so it was the perfect project.

I put a zipper in this project. A first for me so I used this tutorial along with my sewing machine instruction book to help with the changing of the feet.  I would definitely recommend the zipper closure as opposed to the envelope closure.  It just seems to look neater.  So there you have it - I'm moving beyond paper into other areas of craftiness!