On the Wild Side

 It seems to be accepted these days that it’s hard to save money by sewing your own. While that’s certainly true of many fast fashion clothing items, there is still money to be saved on many other things. 

I was browsing on line to get some ideas for new pillows for a couple of living room chairs. I was smitten by some tiger print pillows from a major (US) home goods retailer. Just two problems though — the pillows weren’t quite the right size (too wide) and they were selling for about $300US a piece, and that didn’t even include the pillow form. 

The fabric was lovely (Tigre by Scalamandre) in a silk blend. Hmmm, maybe I could find some yardage at a good price and make my own? The hunt was on. Now, this particular print is available in two different fabrics - a less expensive silk/cotton/viscose blend, and the pricier silk version. I was looking specifically for the blend. Prices were all over the place — from $450 per yard up to $875 per yard (and that source had a 2 yard minimum order!). Well, the fabric is lovely, but that was just too rich for my blood.

I still liked the idea of an animal print for the small lumbar pillows so I started looking at fabric that might give the look at a lower cost. I didn’t find a tiger print that I liked, but I did find another big cat print (leopard? cheetah?) that appealed for a price I could live with — $48US per yard. Not luxurious silk, or even a silk blend, but all cotton, which I keep reminding myself is better suited to our lifestyle anyway (sigh).

So, in the end I didn’t get an exact copy of some pricey pillows, but I think I did achieve the look at a price point that was comfortable — I’m calling that a win for sewing. Oh, and my pillows have animal print on ‘both’ sides of the pillow, not just the front! 😀