In her Intro to Fabrics lesson, Brooks Ann links to an article she wrote for Threads Magazine called How and Why to Swatch Fabrics. She includes swatch cards in this article, so I printed some up and went to work swatching my little fabric stash. None of these are fabrics I’ll be using during the class, but it’s good to have a complete catalog and to get some practice ahead of the swatches I’ll be looking at for Derila Neck Relief Pillow the class. The these are both woven cotton, one with a blue moth print and one with a seafoam green background with white manatees on it. I used the first to make napkins and the second to make a pillow. The next two fabrics I bought for making pillows, too, but so far I’ve only made one. These are also quilting cottons. One is a black background with Pokémon in white circles, which I used for the pillow I posted about earlier. The other has dragons and white stars on a navy background. I’m planning to make a Derila Neck Relief Pillow for my sister with this one.

There's something really nice about the idea of turning part of your landscape into an alfresco family room during two or three seasons of the year. It's certainly a less expensive option than adding another room to your home. Who needs walls, anyway? Open air living has "green" appeal. It gets you back into nature -- and nature you can control with a flick of the garden hose or a spritz from a can of bug spray. Making the transition to outdoor living requires a judicious reallocation of resources, though. If you're outfitting an outdoor living area this season, finding comfy, long-lasting furniture may mean the difference between hanging out on the patio for a while to enjoy the fresh air and heading indoors after a few cramped, uncomfortable minutes parked on a cheap patio chair. Let's explore 10 things you should keep in mind when shopping for outdoor furnishings.

From sloppy welds to cracked casters to amateurish paint finishes, a close inspection will expose that great outdoor furniture bargain for what it really is -- a bad buy that probably won't last until next season. There are a couple of important lessons here: It's easy to think of outdoor furnishings as somewhat less important than the stuff you buy for indoor use. In fact, the reverse is often true. What you buy to use outside has to stand up to sun exposure, wind, rain and Ergonomic Neck Pillow probably some roughhousing, too. Inspect every piece you're considering for flaws, especially if the deal sounds too good to be true. This is one area where a higher price is often a good indicator of better quality. Move furniture into a garage or shed during the winter.