DIY Ornament Throw Pillow

     Here's a craft I've been wanting to make for years, ever since I stumbled across it on Pinterest.  For a while, it sat in a pin board, and I would admire it every time I scrolled past it, thinking, "Maybe someday."  I didn't trust my sewing skills enough to imagine that I could succeed at making something like that.  However, after sewing a romper by hand earlier this year, I realized that I'm actually okay at sewing and decided to take the plunge.  My ornament throw pillow didn't turn out picture perfect, like the ones I saw online, but it still looks pretty decent.
     Since I got the idea and template from Studio DIY, I'll leave it to them to explain how to craft this pillow.  I will, however, describe some of the issues I faced in crafting my pillows explain what worked for me.  So, head on over to Studio DIY for the directions and template, and then head back here to learn a little more about what I found tricky when making my pillow and how I overcame the issues that cropped up.

Tips:

*If you are not used to working with slippery fabric, I strongly caution against using it here.  Yes, it makes for a lovely pillow, but it can be a pain to work with.  Every time I tried pinning it, something slipped somewhere and I ended up with one end kind of lined up while the other was completely not.

*If you're struggling with pinning, try using painter's tape to hold the edges together.  It is still a pain to work with, as it does not adhere to the fabric well, but I had much better luck when I switched over to painter's tape.

*Instead of removing the painter's tape as you go, you may find it helpful to see through the tabe and then cut the tape off at the end, rather than peeling it as you go.

*The ends of the rope I used to make the ornament hook were uneven and a bot frayed, so instead of hot gluing the ends directly to the ornament cap, I cut small slits in the topper so I could slide the ends of the rope inside and then glued them in place.  I'm not sure if that worked out better or worse than hot gluing the ends to the ornament cap, but that's how I did it.