Faux Grain Sack Pillows

Another rainy day in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!  Maddy is out of school today for teacher's inservice so it's been a great day to stay home and get creative.  I finally got around to making some new pillows for my family room.

I so love burlap and grain sack pillows. There are so many ideas out there for making your own~ everything from iron on transfers, stenciling and even sending fabric through your printer. The method I am using today uses Citra-Solv and it so amazing!!


I first heard of this method at Ticking and Toile.  Shellagh creates the most gorgeous pillows and has a wonderful tutorial on how to she makes the designs.

First you'll need some of this stuff, CitraSolv Natural Degreaser:

I found it in the natural food and products section of Fred Meyer.  It is sold all over and if you visit their website here, you can find a store in your area that stocks it.  I think it's also available on Amazon.

Next you'll need to make your design on your computer.  I love the Graphics Fairy for free vintage clip art.  One of my pillows is a wonderful French Chocolate label from her site and the other is my own design.

These are the designs I printed to show you a 'before'.  You actually want to print them in reverse image for transferring to your fabric like this:

Now you'll take your designs to Kinko's or somewhere and have them made into laser copies.  Inkjet copies will NOT work.

The fabric I am using is a cotton muslin.  Be sure to wash and dry your fabric before starting to preshrink and remove sizing.   I covered my work surface with a plastic tablecloth to protect the surface.  You don't want the full strength CitraSolv to touch your surface.

Place your design facedown on your fabric and tape it in place to keep it from shifting and giving you a blurry transfer.  Apply the CitraSolv with a paintbrush or cotton ball.  Wear gloves and try not to breathe the fumes, they're a bit strong.  As you apply the CitraSolv, you'll see your design show through the paper. 

The next step is to burnish.  Using a metal spoon, rub firmly all over your design.  Be sure to burnish the entire surface.  Once you are finished, lift off the paper and your design will have been magically transfered to your fabric. 

At this point you'll use your iron to heat set the design.  Move it the ironing board and iron for about 20-30 seconds with an old towel underneath.  Now you're ready to throw it in the washing machine to remove the CitraSolv, then allow to air dry.    When it's dry, iron out the wrinkles and you're ready to stitch up your pillow!

Have a great weekend and I so hope you'll consider becoming a follower!  Linking up to the fun parties below!