A Grain Sack Pillow for the Bedroom

 Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of this day of romance, I thought I'd give you a peek into our bedroom, and show you the latest addition to my bed linens. I have our bedroom decorated in natural shades of linen, grey and white, with an accent of red in the pillows, blankets, and other textiles.  

The newest piece of bedding I bought is actually not new at all... It's an antique European grain sack, with the wonderful nubby texture and neutral flax color that I love so much. Now, normally I go straight for the striped sacks, but this extra-long plain sack with a simple red embroidered monogram was just what I needed to complement all of the other patterns and textures I already have on my bed. I choose this particular grain sack because of the length - at 59" long, it is the perfect size for to use as a bolster pillow on a 60" wide queen size bed.

I stuffed it with a king size pillow plus a standard pillow to get a full, over-stuffed look. At this size, it is perfect for laying across the head of the bed. Before, when I would make the bed, I used to fold back the gray and red checked blanket, as well as the white blanket and top sheet underneath, and stand up four standard pillows in regular pillowcases, like this...

BEFORE

Nothing wrong with that... but it was a lot of pillows standing at attention, and it didn't have that simple, unfussy, antique look that I wanted.

AFTER

Now, it has a much more simple, primitive look. I cover our regular sleeping pillows with the grey checked blanket and lay the grain sack bolster across the top. A pair of vintage-inspired pillows (the striped one is from Pottery Barn, and the coverlet design is from Family Heirloom Weavers) add some additional pattern without going pillow crazy. I do have a tendency to go pillow crazy... but I was able to practice some restraint this time! 

A close-up of the GE monogram. It's got my initial! I told my hubby we need to start calling him George or something so that it fits. He was not amused.

Since the end of the pillow I used to stuff the sack was visible, I covered it with a piece of french-inspired striped fabric, and used a safety pin to fasten the sack together in the center. A safety pin, you ask?

Yep, there it is! Luckily, the nubby hemp fabric is thick enough that the edges just naturally cover the pin, unless you're looking up from underneath. I'd like to find an antique button yet to stitch on top, so it looks like it's held together by the button. But that's a project for another day.

And, just so you don't think I've let good pillows go to waste, I made room for a couple more...

A quilted pillow from TJ Maxx covers up dirty laundry in a wicker basket under the window...

A small lumbar pillow sits on a windsor chair by the door...

 And a striped pillow stands guard over my bench full of decorating magazines. See? No pillow left behind!