I'm working on covering all my couch pillows with fun and colorful cushion covers. This certainly fits the bill for colorful! It's a welcome bright spot in an otherwise dreary day.
I started off with these fabrics. I still can't believe that I cracked open a jelly roll AND a layer cake in the same day! Crazy!!! ;) I think the lime green was a natural choice, because of Malka's fabulous green wall that she photographs her work against so often. I love it! Although now I'm wishing my lime green fabric was a little more lime.
For the back I used some old (and so, so good) Flea Market Fancy fabric. I layered it with some batting and quilted it following the grid of the print along every other line. It worked very well. No marking required! It has enough stability and just the right texture for the back.
This was my first attempt at an invisible zipper in a pillow. My son thinks it's inappropriately named, because it isn't quite invisible. Close enough, I say! At least for the first shot. I'm going to have to try it again with an invisible zipper foot next time.
When I made the cover, the pillow was too small. Or should I say the cover was too big? So, I used a little trick that I read somewhere awhile ago. Wrap the pillow with scraps of batting to fill it out just a bit. Perfect! What a good use for leftover batting! The corners were still a little droopy, so I stuffed in some additional squares in the bottom corners, just to add some form. I could help but laugh because I felt like I was stuffing my bra or something! Not that I know ANYthing about that.
The pillow cover measures about 18" x 27". It looks pretty snazzy next to this one!
58 comments:
Nice pillow, I love the colours! The quilting works really well too. The zipper will be invisibile if you turn the teeth while sewing -> you manage to sew right next to them. or you could use a fancypants invisibile zipper foot if you had one.
I have to say that your creation, with this fabric I didn't really care for, has made fall for it a little bit. Looks amazing when you play with it!!
What a great idea to cover couch pillows! An awesome idea to make over your room! Now.....to recover the couch...or slip cover it?
That pillow is snazzy!
I love it! The black hand quilting is so awesome! And I love those little x's!
There is no way I would ever have selected this collection of fabric for purchase. And I would have been wrong, because this pillow is the bomb. I love it.
That's some snazzy quilting..love the yummy colors.
Nice pillow.. Beautiful colors..
It's beautiful!!! I love it. I think the green is just great. And so is the zipper. Thanks for the tip on filling out the pillow a bit!
My book arrived today!!!! LOVE IT! WOW! I will blog it and do a book review soon!
Love the pillow! It's making my pillow project look blah - I need some nice bright colors. Thank for the tip about wrapping the form with batting, it could not have come at a better time!
The pillow looks fantastic. Thanks for the laugh, too. I should use that bra stuffing strategy for some of my pillows, too.
While I do love Malka's fabrics, I think my favorite part of this pillow is the sashing with the hand stitching. Nice job!
I love your pillow! I think it might have just convinced me to stop looking at this fabric and buy it already!
Wow, I would not have pulled those fabrics together. And I now reget it, because those look great!
Great pillow. And excellent advice about making the pillow fit the cover with extra batting, stuffing, etc. I wouldn't know ANYthing about that either because I have always the opposite problem. Okay, that was probably TMI.
Back to the pillow. REALLY great. Yummy fabric on the back. The FMF tile print (in all colors) is one of my faves.
Oh my goodness, I love Sunday Morning Quilts. It came today. It is a unique quilt book in my mind. Love the Modern quilt discussions and ideas, and the "slab" tutorial, and the lovely colorful quilts and the storage boxes and ideas. Well I just can't say enough. Am anxious to get started on projects. The pillow and fabric you made in todays post is so cute. Love this fabric and the quilting line on the green is perfect. Thanks!!!
i adore your cushion - the lime lattice really corrals all that wonderful, wild colour - gorgeous - i pinned it :)
i did laugh at the 'stuffing your bra' comment - i do it every day - i had a mastectomy and haven't done anything about reconstruction or a foob yet!!
So fun and colorful! Thanks for the great tip! Smiles~Beth
Very classy! I have a whole mess of that Malka fabric and I must get to work too!
Beautiful, Amanda. I just love the hand stitching!
What a great pillow Amanda Jean! I have some Stitched fabric and pillows would be fun.
AWESOME PILLOW!
brilliant!! It looks great and you've just brightened my day, very funny!!
Cute!
I recently tried invisible zippers. The first time with a normal zipper foot....very visible. The second time with an invisible zipper foot and the results were better, but still not invisible. Let me know what ends up working for you!
That pillow sings with color! I really like the stripes of green with the hand quilting. I thought it was ribbon at first! That's such a fine detail to add. I can't wait to see it in line with your other pillows.
Wow, that is one fabulous pillow! I'm so excited to see Malka's fabric at work - I've got a charm pack squirreled away that I really want to play with now!
The lime grid is fan on this pillow! It makes me think of argyle. Did you invent this pattern? You should sell it if so! :)
I see from comments that your book has shipped. Yay!! Now I need to order it, stat!!
Love your pillow and the pictures look like the right shade of lime to me.
I love what you did with Malka's fabrics.
I love coming to your blog and always seeing something original and pretty! The design of that pillow I just love! I really need to try zippers. It's like getting to the post office.....procrastinating!!
What gorgeous colours! I love the tip for filling out the cushion cover - they never seem to end up quite the same size!
Really, really love your pillow :-)
It's beautiful!
I love it too. So fun. I want to make new pillows for my couch too but since we are shopping for a new one I guess I'll wait until I can make new pillows for the new couch instead of making new pillows for the couch I don't love anymore.
Love the pillow!! Great ideas and colors.
Darling, adorable, scrumptious pillow cover!
And you reminded me of my all-time fave "Maxine" quote: "When life hands you lemons....tuck 'em inside your bra! Couldn't hurt. Might help." :)
this is so gorgeous!!!! i love the lime
Love it!!
I feel REALLY presumptuous giving you my pillow cover tips, because I so admire your quilts and color choices, but here goes... I learned to cut the front and back fabric to exactly the size of the pillow, NOT adding any seam allowance, then sewing with the normal 1/2" seam. That makes the cover fit nice and snug on the pillow form.
I deal with those floppy dog-ear corners by marking 1" down from one corner and 1/4 of the length down the adjacent side, then drawing a line that connects those 2 points. If you do this on all 4 sides and use that line to sew the seam, you'll slightly round each corner and eliminate the floppy corners. It's hard to explain but I'm sure there are tutorials out there in cyberland that explain it better.
Thanking you for all the inspiration from the Northwoods of WI!
You are too funny!
Love the combo of fabrics.
Love the pillows and what a good idea about the use of batting !!
Hi,
I am your newest follower. I thought I was already following you, but when I signed up it took my info so I guess not!!!
All I can say is Wow!!! as I go through your blog. You are one busy, amazing lady. I guess if I am ever feeling like a slacker I will go to this blog and get motivated!
So nice to meet you,
Julie
another terrific project: love the narrow diagonal sashing with the dark big stitches.
I love this - your fabrics are divine!
Question - Is this pillow in Sunday Morning Quilts?
I'd love to make a quilt instead of a pillow. I love the green sashing.
Very pretty and bright colors - get you in the mood for spring!
Great hand stitching. You did a great job on your pillow. Very colorful. Sure to brighten up your house.
Lovely.
Looks like more hand quilting, huh?
really really love it
What a great idea! You've inspired me to cover some of my couch cushions!
It looks fantastic. I love the colors you picked out!
Beautiful bright and fun!!! Hey you said the corners were a bit droopy, I was watching Quilting Arts and there was a lady on there doing pillows and one 'trick' she said was that on the corners when you make your pillow at about two inches from the corner begin a 'slight' angle inward! So your corners are not 90 degrees they are more like 70-80 degrees! I thought that was awsome!!
Yeah!! I'll get your book in a few days now (I hope)!!!
Do you have examples of quilts in the book?
Judy
I love the bright colors! I'm so ready for spring. :)
i think the green sashing is absolutely perfect. i like Malka's line, but it is a little too bright for my own use. your green grid with the hand stitching tones the fabric down just enough that i can finally see that maybe i could use this line.
Great pillow!
Wow great color combination. pillow They are look lovely in more design. This is great, easy and efficient way to the put on a pillow case . You did a great job on your pillow collection which is great..
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