Sometimes, a very special fabric collection sometimes deserves very special shapes! We’ve created a pair of dimensional pillows in Neptune and the Mermaid. One is a brand new triangle pillow with pretty patchwork on one side and a custom octopus appliqué on the other side. Its pillow pal, completing the ocean theme, is our classic Starfish pillow. Make one or make them both. The brilliant colors and interesting shapes would be perfect as beach cabin décor or as toss pillows in a sunroom or covered patio. 

“Wait a minute,” I shout, pulling the phone away from my ear. “TokyoMilk? You mean like the hand cream I have sitting right here on my desk? That TokyoMilk? She’s doing a fabric collection for Coats? (sounds of screaming and phone dropping).” This is a reenactment of the excitement that ran through the Sew4Home studios when our pals at Coats told us about their latest designer collaboration with Margot Elena. Margot is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Margot Elena Companies & Collections. She is the design and marketing mind behind several cult-classic, niche beauty brands, including TokyoMilk, Lollia, Library of Flowers, and her newest creation, The Cottage Greenhouse. To her long list of accomplishments, she now adds: Fabric Designer. Today, you'll get to meet Margot through our interview and find out a little bit about the inspiration behind her first collection, Neptune and the Mermaid. You’ll also learn a few of her personal secrets to color mixing and matching, and discover why Margot never designs and drives. 

It’s shirr magic! Elastic shirring creates a wonderful stretchy texture and is the perfect warm weather technique. It occupies the space between the simplicity of gathering and the intricacy of hand-smocking. We’ve gathered together links to our full step-by-step tutorial plus three shirring projects: a flirty little top plus a full length sundress for both big and little girls. We think you’ll find it fun to learn and easy to do. 

The box pleat is one of the easiest pleating techniques to master. We’ve used the inverted version to create a pair of simple yet stunning pillows. Use a single pleat or a double pleat; we give you all the measurements needed for either version. Or as we did, make both as the perfect decorator pair. When choosing your fabric for the inside of the pleat, look for a sharp contrast in order to make allow this detail to best stand out. We recommend a darker coordinating color. And, if making the pillow pair, it’s a nice idea to match the interior fabric to pull together the two pillows. We used a rich chocolate brown for the inner accent on ours.