Patchwork Pillow Sham Tutorial

My mother in law made me a set of placemats like this and I thought it would be perfect for pillow shams for the boy’s beds.  It would add a splash of color without being too frilly.    

Materials (makes 2 pillow shams for standard pillows):

·         1/3 yd each of 3 printed fabrics

·         2 yds solid fabric for backing, I used inexpensive white muslin

·         thread

·         quilter’s batting

·         metal ruler

·         scissors

·         rotary cutter

·         cutting mat

·         straight pins

·         sewing machine

Directions:

1.       Cut printed fabric into 5 inch squares (16 squares of each fabric)

2.       Cut muslin into 5 inch squares (48 total)

3.       Cut batting into 4 inch squares (48 total) (you may find that scissors work better than the rotary cutter for cutting the batting since it stretches a bit)

4.       Sandwich one square of batting between one square of printed fabric and one square of plain fabric or muslin centering the batting to give yourself a half inch seam allowance around the outside edge.  Pin in place. 

5.     Sew a diagonal seam from corner to corner.  (I sew them all one after the other and then snip all the thread connecting them.)  Then sew a diagonal from the opposite corners forming an “X”.

6.       Once you have all the sandwiched squares stitched lay them out to create the pattern you want.  I made diagonal stripes with the three colors repeating across the pillow.  I worked from right to left from the top row down pinning and sewing the squares into horizontal strips.  Be sure to pin back sides together so the seam allowance is actually on the outside of the quilted pillow. 

7.       Once you have all the strips assembled begin sewing the rows together horizontally.  Try to match the corners of the seams as best you can.  (When you cut the fringe it will hide little discrepancies which make this a great project for less experienced quilters!) 

8.       To make the fringe, cut the seam allowance between each square at roughly every half inch or so with your scissors.  (This repetitive action will make your forearm sore so you may want to do this as you go along rather than doing it all at the end.)

9.       Cut a two pieces of your backing fabric or muslin that are roughly 2/3rds of the width of your pillow case.  Hem the center edges (the two pieces will overlap to give a finished look.  Pin in place wrong sides together (right sides out) and sew a half inch seam around the outside edge.

10.   Cut fringe at about every half inch or so around the outside edge. 

11.   Wash with some towels to get the fringe to unravel some and give it a rustic fun finish.  (note whatever is in the wash will get fuzzies and small pieces of thread on them so choose what gets washed in this load wisely.)

Freezer Paper Stencil Throw Pillow Tutorial



When I learned of the magic of freezer paper I was instantly in awe!  This is a fun project and can be done as simple or as complex as you choose!  If you are good with scissors or an exacto knife this is the project for you.  Pillows, clothing, curtains, napkins…the possibilities are endless.

Materials:

·         Freezer Paper (can be found at the grocery store next to aluminum foil and plastic wraps)

·         scissors or exacto knife

·         fabric (sewn to desired pillow size with a descent sized opening to get materials in and out from)

·         waxed paper

·         fabric paint

·         iron

·         ironing board

·         magazines or cutting mat

·         image for tracing

Directions:

1.       Find an appropriately sized image you would like to use.  Be sure that it is simple but has enough detail that it can be identified when depicted as a silhouette.

2.       Trace your image onto the matte side of the freezer paper – the shiny plastic coated side will be ironed against the fabric so your image will be oriented as you see it traced on the matte side.

3.       Cut out your image being sure to leave the outside edge in tact to become your stencil.

4.       Iron your freezer paper onto your fabric.

5.       Place waxed paper inside your pillow to prevent the paint from bleeding through onto the other side.

6.       Carefully and gently paint your silhouette using brushstrokes from the outside towards the middle to prevent the paint from getting worked underneath the edge of your stencil.

7.       Leave it to dry.

8.       Gently peel your stencil off the fabric – if you do this successfully without tearing your stencil you can reuse it.

9.       Remove the waxed paper, stuff your pillow and sew the seam opening closed or place a pillow form into your pillow case.



Below are photos of the airplane pillow in progress.