#179...monogrammed bed shams

I like to use a solid colored white quilt on my bed, so that I can change my shams and throw pillow out when I get tired of the current textile and need something new. I came across this "Arbor" print duvet cover at HomeGoods, and fell in love with the print. (I have not used the duvet fabric for anything yet, but decided to cut up the pillow cases that came with the set, and make a new center throw pillow for my bed.) I made one for me, and I put one up for sale in my etsy shop here.

Since I wanted my new pillow to be the centerpiece of my bed, I decided to make some neutral colored shams from some scraps of white printed toile linen and seersucker (back) that I had in my stash. The white printed toile linen is more traditional than my usual taste in textile prints, so I decided to embellish it with appliqued monograms for Tyler and me in khaki linen. Here is how I made the monograms.........

First, I chose a font for the letters from Word's font list. I used "agency" font and printed it at 650 point in 5% grayscale (to save ink). Then I used my scanner/copier to enlarge the letter by 200% and had to tape the oversized printout together to make my letter pattern.

Next, I used carbon paper and traced the mirror image onto the linen.

I used double-sided tape to hold my letters in place and I zig-zag stitched slowly around each letter. Normally, I use this Steam-a-Seam product to adhere my applique piece to its background, and hold it in place during stitching. It is a really awesome product, I highly recommend it....I just did not have any on hand during this project. Here are some up close shots of my zig-zag applique.

After completing the front panels for my shams, I added the zipper and back. I made standard shams that measure 19" x 26"