Hello and welcome to the Tombstone Pillow Sewalong! It's time to start thinking about Halloween decorations (I just got mine out of storage today!) and this creepy pillow is a great addition to any spooktakular home setup! 

If you don't have your own copy of the pattern yet, you can pick it up in the Goheen Pattterns shop, or in my GreenGraves Etsy shop. 

If you would like to order a custom Tombstone (you get to pick what the epitaph is) I can do that too!

The Tombstone Pillow Sewing Pattern is rated CONFIDENT on my sewing levels chart. This means that you sew on the regular, are familiar with sewing patterns, and you know your sewing machine like the back of your hand! Basically, if you have never sewn anything before in your life, this one might not be the pattern to start with.

Over the next few weeks, I'll publish a series of blog posts taking you step by step through the entire process of making your own tombstone, from PDF pattern to finished pillow. You can sew along with me, ask me questions, and share your techniques and advice with other sewists following along as well! You can leave comments and questions here on the blog, in our Goheen Patterns Sewing Group on facebook, or on instagram with the hashtag
​#TombstoneSewalong. 

I'll try my best to answer any questions as quickly as I can, but feel free to jump in and help each other out too!

The Tentative Schedule for the Sewalong is:

Aug 17th - Part 1 - Intro, Gathering Materials
Aug 20th - Part 2 - Putting together the pattern
Aug 23rd - Part 3 - Cutting out the fabric, and Quilting the front
Aug 30th - Part 4 - Making cording and Sewing your tombstone together
Oct 7th - Part 5 - Flipping, Clipping, Stuffing, and Closing your pillow
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Show off your finished pillows! To be featured, email me a photo at madeline.goheen@gmail.com or use #TombstoneSewalong 

So if all goes according to plan, you will have a finished decoration by Oct 7th! Plenty of time to use it for Halloween 2017! 

Materials and Tools you need by Aug 20th, for Part 2:
- The pattern (available in the pattern shop)
- A way to print the pattern (printer at home or at a copy shop)
- Paper Scissors
- Clear Tape
- A ruler or measuring tape

Materials and Tools you need by Aug 23rd, for Part 3:
- 1yd (1 meter) of any 40-60" wide woven fabric, prewashed. I love using a nice textured grey fabric from the home decor section!
- 1/2 yd (1/2 meter) of "lining", prewashed. This can be any fabric at all, it will not be seen on the outside of your tombstone, so it is a great stash buster. 
- 1/2 yd (1/2 meter) of any quilt batting (18"x22" for you scrap busters)
- Thread
- Contrast Top stitching Thread (black thread is great on a grey tombstone)
- 145" of 5/32 of welt cording (370 cm) Etsy is a great place to find this if it's not at your local craft store. You can also sub in 5/32 inch clothesline found at a hardware store or even a grocery store!
- Fabric Scissors
- Fabric marker/chalk
- Sewing Machine
- Pins
- Handsewing Needle
- Skinny Black marker
- Press and Seal OR Transfer Paper OR Tissue Paper

That's it for now! I'll see you back for Part 2 on the 20th!
Let me know if you have any questions about gathering materials!

This blog post may be coming a little late, but my excitement about releasing a garment pattern is so fresh that I figured it’s still relevant!

The process of creating and releasing a sewing pattern, especially one that requires grading and testing, is a lengthy one. I started patterning my first rendition of The Eddie Tank in January, and didn’t release the finished pattern until May. Obviously, I wasn’t working non-stop on this project all those months. I was also working my day job, fulfilling Etsy orders, working on the wholesale side of my business, and also doing all the back end administrative work as well. Finding (or creating) time to work on the patterning side of my business isn’t always easy. Which is why I’m so excited to finally have the fruits of my labor ready for the picking!  

The Eddie was inspired back in January by…. You guessed it…. Eddie! For those of you who don’t know him, Eddie is my husband, and his signature look in life is a running singlet. Years of running every day, often multiple times a day, means that running tank tops are one of the staples of his closet, and an easy pick even for when he’s lounging around in the Indiana summer heat.

Inspired  by this, I wanted to create a simple, comfortable, and stylish workout tank that is a quick sew.
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New product alert!
I’ve got some new Indianapolis themed goodies, just up in the shop! I debuted these at the IHE last month, but I’ve just gotten around to listing them on Etsy (that’s what traveling to Alaska and then to London in the same month does to your work schedule).
            These pillows are actually a result of narrowing my product line! Last year, I had made a few throw pillows for a local shop. They wanted to round out the Indiana products with some basic pillows as well. So, I made some pillows, which were sold on consignment, which means when the store later closed down, these pillows came back to me. By this time, I had realized that the products I had been offering were a little too varied for a cohesive look and feel. I had decided to stay clear of basic pillows, and only offer ones that have a little something extra special (a new shape, a face, etc). So these square ones sat around for a while until I realized DUH! I could add a skyline onto them and make them into something extra special!
            I love how they turned out! I love my Indiana shaped pillows, but not everyone wants a pillow with such an odd shape. Square ones are a much more subtle nod to the circle city.