June 18, 2018

Pillow Palooza!

This summer has definitely had a strong pillow theme for me so far. About a month ago I participated in a local craft fair, so I used that opportunity to clear out lots of the pillows I had waiting around, as well as put some orphan blocks and scraps to good use.


This first one was a spinoff of a group gift quilt I participated in. The ladies in my birthday bee this year combined efforts to make a baby quilt for one friend who is having a baby girl. I was loving the color scheme and couldn't help but use the colors and scraps to make this pillow. This one was 100% scraps, front and back! Those always turn out to be my favorite.


I ended up doing a back zipper instead of bottom like usual in order to use the scraps I had. You can find a tutorial for that at the end of my Prairie Point Bunting Pillow Tutorial. Here's what it looks like from the side. 


My friend Kristi of Put A Quilt On It lives in the greater Sacramento area and was so kind as to drop by the craft fair. If you haven't seen her indoor/outdoor barn blocks you should really check them out. I have one in my living room and I love it! She ended up buying this pillow for her adorable little daughter. I'm so happy it went to a friend. Thanks Kristi! 

I quilted it with a simple crosshatch. I'm all about avoiding extra steps, and following the intersecting seams means no marking quilting lines ahead of time!


Another pillow from the fair was this cute owl lumbar pillow. I used the 6" owl mini block pattern by Burlap and Blossoms. There are lots of cute patterns in that shop! You can't beat the prices either. I made 2 cute mates and added the necessary borders to fit the lumbar insert size.


Though the pieces are tiny in this pattern and I was a little scared at first, it was very well written and easy and fun to follow. I quilted it with a scallop I thought was sort of like owl feathers, and backed it in yellow polka dots.


There is a video tutorial in my Instagram stories for how to put zippers in the bottom of pillows as shown here.


Another pillow I said goodbye to at the fair was this oversized barn block pillow in navy. Oh how I loved this one. It was my first time making a 24" square instead of 18" pillow and it was so big and squishy and delightful. This one also went to live with an Instagram friend! Unfortunately I didn't get to meet her as I was out of the room when she came by, and my sister was covering for me. Kathy (@mrstuttle5)- thank you so much for giving it a good home, I'm sorry I missed you!


I came up with the star block pattern just for this project, so no pattern as of yet, sorry! I used 3 different Bonnie and Camille basics with a solid navy, and quilted it in a diagonal crosshatch. I totally cheat when I do that as well. I start by quilting a big X from opposite corners, following the intersections of the star design. Then I use the little metal rod that came with my walking foot, find a distance between lines that I like, and follow that for the rest of the lines. Again, no marking! After that, I added some hand quilting around the outer and inner edges of the star. I love adding that finishing touch.


The backing is the same B&C plaid print as the front, and the bottom zipper is the same as in the tutorial above. I bought the same kind of insert from IKEA that I usually do, but this time in the bigger size. You always want your pillow covers to be a little smaller than the given size of your pillow insert so that they aren't saggy baggy! 


This happy star pillow came from an orphan block from a quilt I never finished, may it's vision and memory rest in peace, ha! I used various Bonnie and Camille scraps for this one too, in red and pink. The HSTs were 2.5" finished, with a 2" finished border. I started with (12) 3.5" fabrics for HSTs, and a 5.5" cut center. 


I LOVE red, and the B&C Hello Darling backing on this one has my heart. 


Right now I'm in the middle of making new throw pillows for each of my boys' beds. You can read more about the back story here. Two are in processs, and one is finished. It was a huge hit! I will post all the details about those 3 when they are done, but we found the ideas and patterns together on my Quilts Pinterest board. I am an avid quilt pinner!



Thanks for stopping by today. I really hope to be snuggling my new baby boy next time I'm back here. Wish me luck!

3 comments :

  1. Thanks for the shout out! I was just coming on to make sure I was on your new email list looking forward to that blue star pillow pattern :) I think I might have to try to make one in red, white and blue for the summer.

    I love seeing all of these pillows. It was tough to just choose one. The one we ended up with looks perfect in my daughter's room. Next time I make one myself I need to follow your zipper tutorial and add a little hand stitching too. Your work is always so polished. Love it!

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  2. All the pillows are stunning! Wow! I'm drooling looking at your fabric shelf!

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  3. Your pillows are all so adorable and so are your cute boys! Good luck for your new baby boy!

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