Friday, February 20, 2015

Falling Star Pillow Finish




Do you remember this Falling Star block I was 
working with a few weeks ago?
I thought it would make a quick practice piece for FMQ,
 and decided I should turn it into a mod pillow.
I inserted a covered zipper in the back to make it washable.
The black and white hatched fabric
is from JoAnn's, and teams nicely with everything.





 I wanted to show the pillow flattened so you could see
the difference in dimension compared to the size 
of the pillow form I've used. If you want a firmly
filled pillow, go up several inches in 
size when choosing your form. This is a 
poly 20"x 20" from IKEA.



The other thing worth sharing is the great little pair of 
scissors I use for all my tougher cutting. To insure the
corners lay nicely when turned, snip cuts about  
1/4" apart at and on either side of each corner.
The stout Cutter Bee scissors are excellent for this!
I've accidentally snipped into the seam with my 
regular fabric shears before.  A long blade is designed 
for cutting lengths of fabrics. They aren't designed 
for just snipping, and are especially difficult with  
thick fabrics or many layers. 

My rule of thumb is to match the 
blade length with my cut.

Cutter Bees have no issue, and I am sure of a precise cut. 
Here are two different versions.


A new pillow in a favorite reading chair
just begs for a book and cup of tea!
I give in.


Come on, Doxie Girls.
Climb in for a little snooze,
and then we'll go sew.

I'm linking up today with~
Thank you all for the Link Up opportunities!


21 comments:

Marly said...

Beautiful coloured fabric; looks like fondant drops. Thanks for the hint about size of stuffing cushion. That's a mistake I've made and have cushions too thin to stand up.

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty said...

What a great finish! Can you provide any information about the fabric you used in the star itself?

Kate said...

I love your falling star - the fabrics are so pretty together. This is a block that I am not familiar with. :)

Dominique said...

Very cute! and a bit unsettling too... I want to go and pick up the falling piece!

Podunk Pretties said...

Love your fabrics! Those little scissors look pretty stout, thanks for the tip.

Sarah Craig said...

Very pretty pillow! I need to make a bunch of pillows, too - they're such a great way to perk up a room! Whoop whoop from frozen Nashville, TN!

Heather Graves said...

Great finish - I love quilted pillows! I think a trip to Joann's is in order to pick up some of the black crosshatch, what a find! Did you bind this just as you would a quilt after it was all finished - I like the look of bound pillows but I've never given it a try...

Preeti said...

Love the broken, unfinished look. It seems to say - Here take this pillow but I have kept a part of it for me just like you have kept a part of my heart...

Julie said...

There's no selvage information left, but I looked online. Andover Fabrics, Love Notes. I see it listed as Cream, but mine is definitely not cream. It looks white. I think it's a 2012 release.

Julie

Julie said...

The black hatching is the same fabric as I used in binding the Zombie Quilt in November. Once I'd used it, I made sure to buy several yards when I had a great coupon. It really works with a wide range of fabrics, and has a little heavier weight to it. It was ideal for a backing.

I buy my cording at JoAnn's in a bag, not by the yard. It's a good buy that way. I did straight cut strips, 1 5/8" wide, and covered my cording using my zipper foot. After your quilted front is done, sew on the corded trim. If you've left 1/4" of batting past the edge of your fabric, this lines up perfectly with your batting edge, and is a cinch to put on.

It makes a very manageable project to highlight a block.

Julie

kathyinozarks said...

I really love your pillow-great block design too

chitra said...

A lovely pillow.

evaj said...

Jätte sött tyg i din kudde /ha en fin helg/Bambikram

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful!

SuperMomNoCape said...

I like everything about your pillow... the block, the cording and the backing. That backing fabric really would go with so many things.

Cut&Alter said...

Really beautiful cushion. Love the tip about the scissors - was sewing with my girls and we had to clip curves and I was nervous of them cutting into the seam so I did all the clipping!

Shelley Folkerts said...

Your pillow turned out really nice. I love pillows with piping. Those are some cool looking scissors, might need to look them up. Thanks for linking up to this week's TGIFF.

Kim said...

Gorgeous pillow; love the fabrics. I think piping always adds the finishing touch to a pillow.

moongirl said...

Oh I love this pillow! What a great idea. Going to check out those scissors too. I hate snipping into seams by accident. ;)

legato1958 said...

I love your Falling Star pillow! The fabrics and colors are gorgeous. And that 's a great tip about the scissors. I always worry about clipping into the seam.
Susie

QuiltShopGal said...

Beautiful pillow. Thanks for all the tips too. I'm always looking for new scissors.
Thanks for sharing in the weekly #CreativeGoodness Linky Party.

QuiltShopGal
www.quiltshopgal.com