Wednesday, March 07, 2012

a new pillow

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:

Suvi said...

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.

Rachel said...

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!!

Jezibels said...

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?

Michele said...

That pillow is snazzy!

Tara said...

I love it! The black hand quilting is so awesome! And I love those little x's!

Tennjenny said...

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.

Quiltn Mama said...

That's some snazzy quilting..love the yummy colors.

Unknown said...

Nice pillow.. Beautiful colors..

Mama Pea said...

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!

Johanna said...

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!

Svetlana said...

The pillow looks fantastic. Thanks for the laugh, too. I should use that bra stuffing strategy for some of my pillows, too.

Esch House Quilts said...

While I do love Malka's fabrics, I think my favorite part of this pillow is the sashing with the hand stitching. Nice job!

Heather said...

I love your pillow! I think it might have just convinced me to stop looking at this fabric and buy it already!

Elizabeth B. (blue.crab) said...

Wow, I would not have pulled those fabrics together. And I now reget it, because those look great!

Live a Colorful Life said...

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.

Mary Jo said...

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!!!

Shocking Hocking said...

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!!

bethanndodd said...

So fun and colorful! Thanks for the great tip! Smiles~Beth

carol said...

Very classy! I have a whole mess of that Malka fabric and I must get to work too!

Annalia said...

Beautiful, Amanda. I just love the hand stitching!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

What a great pillow Amanda Jean! I have some Stitched fabric and pillows would be fun.

Stacy Lindblom said...

AWESOME PILLOW!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

brilliant!! It looks great and you've just brightened my day, very funny!!

Elena said...

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!

Suzanne said...

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.

Sarah Craig said...

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!

April (Polkadot Sparrow) said...

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!!

Tamie said...

Love your pillow and the pictures look like the right shade of lime to me.

www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com said...

I love what you did with Malka's fabrics.

Kris from Duke Says Sew What said...

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!!

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

What gorgeous colours! I love the tip for filling out the cushion cover - they never seem to end up quite the same size!

Sadie said...

Really, really love your pillow :-)
It's beautiful!

Michele said...

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.

Judy Sommerfield-Fox said...

Love the pillow!! Great ideas and colors.

SarahZ said...

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." :)

Leslie said...

this is so gorgeous!!!! i love the lime

Lisa Lisa said...

Love it!!

Terry said...

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!

Cheryl Arkison said...

You are too funny!
Love the combo of fabrics.

Eileen said...

Love the pillows and what a good idea about the use of batting !!

Ric Rac and Polka Dots said...

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

Godzi said...

another terrific project: love the narrow diagonal sashing with the dark big stitches.

Lauren said...

I love this - your fabrics are divine!

LeeH said...

Question - Is this pillow in Sunday Morning Quilts?
I'd love to make a quilt instead of a pillow. I love the green sashing.

Deb said...

Very pretty and bright colors - get you in the mood for spring!

Donna said...

Great hand stitching. You did a great job on your pillow. Very colorful. Sure to brighten up your house.

Anita D. said...

Lovely.

Clair said...

Looks like more hand quilting, huh?

Nanette Merrill said...

really really love it

Ginette said...

What a great idea! You've inspired me to cover some of my couch cushions!

Susan said...

It looks fantastic. I love the colors you picked out!

Josie McRazie said...

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!!

Betty said...

Yeah!! I'll get your book in a few days now (I hope)!!!

Judy said...

Do you have examples of quilts in the book?

Judy

Cheerful Homemaker said...

I love the bright colors! I'm so ready for spring. :)

quirky granola girl said...

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.

Carla said...

Great pillow!

doppeltuch said...

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..