It almost took a village

to get two pillowcase/pillowshams made.
I had the fabric -- finally

 This was not my first choice.....it was the second, so I didn't do too badly.  The middle fabric was purchased at The Village Square Quilt shop when I bought the pattern.  I bought the fabric for the snowmen the same day.
I had trouble co-ordinating with it for some reason.  I had the navy and chose a lighter grey -- almost white -- for the other one, but in the end it just didn't cut it with me.  I went back to The Oakville Sewing Centre and bought the "blue" fabric and was much happier.

I took one evening to trace the pieces and iron them to the fabric.  Then it sat here!  No reason, I just wasn't in the mood.
I told myself to smarten up and then I took another evening to cut everything out.
Placement was an issue because I wasn't making a pillow.  I didn't want the snowmen too high or too low.  I wanted them perfect in the right spot, so I did some measuring and I didn't write it down.  I know they are about 8 1/2" from the bottom.  Which presented another problem.
The pattern called for 3 1/2" squares alternating between two fabrics.  I chose the blue and the same as the fabric for the body of the case.  However, I wanted to introduce the dark blue I was using for the cuff.  In the end I cut my squares 4 1/2" and then trimmed them back so they are actually rectangles.
The blue strip I sewed between the snowmen and the squares.
Our pillows are long, so I made the body about 28" and then added 5" cuffs.  Finally the pillows are inside the case and not hanging out the ends.

 I did have 6 black buttons for the eyes, but I needed 12, so I had to go out and buy some more.  I opted to sew them on by machine as I was going through the Steam-a-Seam behind the faces.  What a pain that was!  I should have done them before I sewed the pillowcases together.
We are ready for next winter.

 This project is now done.  I have fabric left-over so I can put it away with a snowman wall hanging I still have to do.

By the way, the pattern is from The Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw.  They do take online orders.

Two done and ready for next winter.

Gee I should have pressed those before I took the photo!

I have a wee tip for you today.

I know it's been awhile.

My friend, Alicia, who lives out in northern California recently posted a photo of a little project she made

to control that "run away" foot peddle.  The link is posted  below.

http://so-sew-easy.com/non-slip-sewing-machine-foot-pedal-pad/

I , on the other hand, being a bit lazier than Alicia, just grabbed a piece of the spongy fabric (it is marketed under a lot of different brand names; Scoot Gard, Con-Tact) and placed it under my foot. It worked like a charm.  The peddle didn't move for the entire morning.

As we purchased a lot of this "stuff" while we were camping, I know it is available at RV stores and some marinas.  Maybe you can find it in dollar stores, but -- and of course there is a but -- buy the best you can find.  It really is worth the extra money.

We found that out the hard way.