Monday, September 7, 2009

Pinwheel Pillow Tutorial, Part 2

For the second part of this tutorial, I'll share with you how I quilted and made the pocket for the back of the pillow.



First, for the quilting, I was inspired by a Pottery Barn quilt in their most recent catalog. I love the effect of the multiple straight lines of quilting in a simple square patchwork top. I decided to try this technique on the pinwheel pillow.


Instead of taping off 1/4" spacing between each line, I used my presser foot as a guide. This worked just fine. In each square, I quilted opposite of the direction of the seams.

I learned a very important lesson which was to start in the middle and work my way out. The fabric bunched up because I did not do this, and it was unfixable by the time I caught my error. Ugh!

The finished effect was just how I wanted it to be, though. I'm pleased with how it looks overall and will definitely do this quilting technique again, maybe even just on plain old squares?

Next, it was time to make the back of the pillow. I like to make the pillow covers removable so they can be thrown in the wash occasionally. My mom taught me how to make this back - it's so easy!

Basically, all you do is take the length measurements and add about 3-4 inches. Cut the width as you normally would, adding 1/2" seam allowance (1/4" for each side).

Then, cut the back in half. Add a hem to the top of one piece and the bottom of the other. Now, pin the back two pieces to the pillow top - RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER! There should be a significant overlap of the hemmed edges of the back. This will create a nice, deep pocket so your pillow won't bulge out - not an attractive look.




Finally, pin the back to the top and carefully sew a 1/4" seam all the way around the perimeter of the pillow. Unfortunately, I did not capture a photo of this step as my camera battery decided to die. Perfect timing, right?



All that is left to do is remove your pins and turn the pillow right side out. Then, you're ready to stuff your pillow insert inside your beautiful new pillow case.

I'm very happy with how my pinwheel pillowcase turned out. I hope you are happy with yours too. Happy sewing!

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