Diamond Pleated Pillow

Tags: decor, pillows, projects, sewing

So excited about this project! I’ve been transforming our ugly back deck into a french-style oasis for the past few months. It’s been a chore, but I’m finally making some progress. We found this great bench at World Market, but with the hard wooden back and deep seat, we needed a lot of pillows!

I couldn’t find any anywhere that I liked, but I did find some amazing upholstery fabric remnants at Hancock’s Fabrics (at $5 a yard!). So I decided to MAKE all the outdoor pillows. :)

This is going to be a series, but here’s the first – and most complex (though it’s really easy!) of them all.

The final product…

How it’s done…

First, decide what size pillow you want to make. This one was 12″ x 16.” Take your original pillow measurements and add 1.25″ to measurements (so 12″ x 16″ becomes 13.25″ x 17.25″).

Next, Decide how many diamonds you want and add two inches per pleat to the longest side of the fabric. For my 12″ x 16″ pillow I did six pleats (five diamonds across the middle), so my final fabric measurements for the front piece were 13.25″ x 29.25.”

Get out your t-square (or a book/sheet of paper and a yard stick) and trace your measurements for the front piece onto the fabric and cut.

Next, iron a pleat every two inches starting from the middle of your fabric if you have an odd number of pleats or on either side of the middle for an even number (one inch on either side of the middle point). Like so…

Until you get this…

Next, sew 1/2″ in on each fold.

At this point, you should have something like this…

And now we’re ready to do some hand sewing. Get out your needle and thread and pull two pleats together at the center, sewing a button to join each. I had originally wanted cute little wooden buttons, but found these small plastic ones in a pack of 100 for 99 cents at Jo-Ann Fabrics, so…

When you have one row done, lay the ends flat, pinning the pleats in toward each other and stitch 1/2″ to hold pleats down at top and bottom.

Next measure and cut a piece of fabric two inches taller than your final fabric measurements before adding pleats (in my case, 13.25″ x 19.25). Decide where you want your back zipper and cut this piece of fabric at that spot.

Sew zipper according to package directions. It should look something like this when you’re done…

Pin right sides of front and back together and sew all the way around.

Add a second and third row of buttons (or more if you’re doing a larger pillow) alternating pulled pleats. And your final result should  look like this…

Great Little Anthropologie Sweater Hack Coming Soon!

Tags: anthropologie, clothing, design hacks, sewing

So excited about this one!

Super Quick and Easy Brown Gravy

Tags: gravy, recipes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup beef stock
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat (let brown just slightly). Stir in soy sauce, onion powder and salt. Gradually disk in hot water and beef stock until well blended. Bring to boil. In a small bowl, stir cold water and cornstarch. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and continue bowling until thickened. Let cool just slightly, covered (to prevent layer from forming on top).

Serves 8  |  Ready in 10-15 minutes

Nob Hill Tortilla Soup

Tags: main course, recipes, soup

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
6 corn tortillas
5 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced (see below)
2 jalapeño peppers, corred, seeded and diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
2 dried bay leaves
4 cups of veggie broth
4 cups of beef stock + 2 tbsp
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz – do not drain)
1 lb beef for stir-fry, thinly sliced and cubed (optional)
1.5 tsp chili powder
1.5 tsp salt

To Garnish
1 avocado
1 cup monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped vine tomatoes
sour cream
lime wedges

Instructions
1. Puree chopped onion in a food processor until very smooth. While the onion is pureeing, cut half of the tortillas into quarter-inch dice.

2. Heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Add diced tortillas and stir to coat. Continue cooking until the tortillas start to crisp, but before the garlic starts to brown. Decrease heat if necessary. Stir in poblanos, onion puree, jalapeños, cilantro, cumin, pepper and bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add vegetable broth, beef stock and diced tomatoes and bring to boil over medium-hi heat. When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 30-45 minutes.

4. Heat 2 tbsp of beef stock in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and brown quickly, 1-2 minutes. Combine beef with simmering mixture.

5. Cut the remaining 3 tortillas into quarter-inch strips. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tortillas and cook, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, 4-5 minutes.

6. Serve soup in warm bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes and avocado. Serve lime wedges in a bowl for squeezing, if desired.

Tip: Tortilla soup can be made the day before serving for added goodness! It’s like spaghetti – just gets better over 24 hours. If you choose to make early, follow steps 1-4 and leave 5 & 6 for the next day.

Vegetarians: This recipe can be made vegetarian-friendly by substituting veggie broth for beef stock and excluding beef. Trust me… it’s really yummy!

¡Que aproveche!