Wednesday 1 August 2012

The Union Jack


Just like the 'keep calm and carry on' slogan, the British "Union Jack" is a very popular motif that you can find on notebooks, cups, pillows or even furniture! I thought it would go well with the colors in one of the rooms so I decided to make my own Union Jack pillow. Well, you must admit... looks quite good, doesn't it? :)





Overall it cost me about 20zl (5$). I used some acrilic paint which I already had and the pillow was bought in Ikea for 10zl (about 2$, I suppose). I also had to buy some kind of special fabric medium. You simply mix it with the paint. Just use two parts paint and one part fabric medium. The medium makes the paint wash proof and I must admit it's great, I already have some other pillow ideas :D And here's how I did it:
The yellow stripes represent the duct tape that I used to get straight lines and nice edges ;) First, you have to stick the tape so that it creates an even cross in the middle. Paint it with dark red (remember to mix the paint with the medium first!). The 'medium-paint' dries really quickly so you should hurry. Remove the tape before the paint is completely dry. 


 Wait a couple of minutes and start with the next part. Again stick the tape as shown below, paint quickly and remove the tape when you've finished.


This is the most difficult part (for me anyway). Stick the tape all around the read parts and paint dark blue everything that's left. Remove the tape and voila!:D Easy, right?



Such a pillow is rather rare in Poland but I've noticed that most of my friends like it (surprisingly) ;)  Before I go, I'd like to show you some of the pillows that I found on potterybarn.com. I really want to make one of these but can't decide which one. What do you think? I'm waiting for your comments :)
And one more thing (the last one, I promise), there are more posts on the Polish version of this blog but I'll translate them into English as soon as possible so please, visit me later, as well :) As for now, you can see the pictures there.
Love,
Kate (Kasia in Polish :))









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7 comments:

  1. Turned out really cute! I'm going to have to find some of that fabric medium to begin painting fabric with my acrylic paint. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Kate, Thanks for coming all the way from Poland (my ancestors are Polish and Hungarian) to show us your wonderfully made Union Jack pillow! I love how vibrant the colors are!!! So happy your joined us at TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS!

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  3. You did an amazing job on the pillow! As far as which one to do from the others? I love the bold red flowers! Thanks for linking up with us this week!

    Take care,

    Trish

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    1. I'm leaning toward the red flowers myself :) Thanks so much for visiting!

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  4. LOVE your pillow!!! Way to go!

    I would pick the red flowers for your next creation :)

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality :)

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  5. Fabulous, Kate! Your pillow looks wonderful. By the way, I love the sunflower pillow, so it would be my choice.

    Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you each week.

    Blessings,
    Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage

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