Thursday, February 16, 2012

Making Pillows

I really have pillows on the brain right now, because I'm in the Cushion Cover Swap at Craftster.  I wish I could show you the one I'm working on for my partner because I like how it's coming out!  But it involves a lot of handwork, so it will be another week or so before it is done (and then I have to wait for it to reach my partner in England before I can show it here!)  So instead, I will show you two scripture verse pillows I have just finished. 

I love making these pillows because I love scripture, and beading them is really fun! 


I make the tops just like a mini quilt, layering the front with batting and a backing fabric.  Then I do a little hand-quilting, and add all the beads.

Here's my secret for making a nice smooth pillow:  I also layer the back of the pillow like a mini quilt.  In this picture, the pillow front has been trimmed; I will just flip it over onto the layered backing, pin it, and take it to the sewing machine to sew it all together.

I leave an opening for stuffing, turn it, and fill it with polyfill.  Sew up the bottom and ta-da!  Finished!


These pillows are about 9" square, and make a wonderful little gift.


These could be made with any quote on the front; I add the words with a sakura micron marker and a light box.  They are really versatile that way, and could be personalized to anyone.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

oh i love these. and the "mini pillow" sachet versions of these that you make--ya! like the one that you made for me--are such comforts to have and can go anywhere : )

ScottsHelper said...

The pen you used to make the lettering...what point size did you use? These pillows are beautiful!

Leslie Andersen said...

ScottsHelper, I believe I used a #08 (.50mm)micron marker for the larger words, and probably #03 (.35mm) for the smaller words. I always do a test before writing on the pillow to make sure the pen size will be good for the font size, so it varies depending on the length of the quote (for longer quotes I use a smaller font, and vice versa).