Leaf Around a Bit More

Here is another idea to go along with the fall leaves stitched to the edge of the coaster in my previous post.

Make additional leaves and attach them to the ends of a wide ribbon. The ribbons are then tied around pillows to lend a seasonal touch to the pillows.

Wouldn't these be perfect for my Thanksgiving celebration?

Leaf It Up a Bit

Leafy Coaster

©Sharon V. Rotz

Although this is a bit away from my other Quilter's Tiles, it is close in size and so appropriate for the season. This coaster would be perfect for that relaxing cup of coffee or second piece of pie after your Thanksgiving gala.  

These coasters are decorated with flannel and felt leaves made using the autumn leaves we have gathered as patterns. (Better get those leaves quickly as today light snow is beginning to fall here.)  

Complete directions for this project are in my book Quilting Through the Seasons available on my website.

Pillows Reaching the Sky

Yes, we are reaching the sky. The pillows are precariously perched and we are still moving on.

We have looked are various pillow edges but one we have not encountered is the flanged pillow. This flange can be compared to a "flat ruffle", (if that even makes sense) and gives a more contemporary look.

The"Joy Patchwork Pillow" from Quilting Through the Seasons is finished with a flange.  It certainly adds to the pillow, both in size and in design. This looks like a complicated finish for a pillow and the first time I tried this, I did make it, oh, so hard.  I made four sides and stitched them into a frame and then tried to figure out how to add them to the sides of my pillow. EEK, what problems, I had.

Today, I can tell you a simple way to achieve this look. Think of the pillow top as the center of a quilt and add four (pieced) borders onto the "quilt top".  

Measure the "quilt top" (3" border, 12" center, 3" border plus seam allowance, 1/2" equals 18-1/2") and construct your back this size. Make your pillow back with an center overlap (envelope style) and pin right sides together to the pillow front. Stitch around the pillow. 

Turn the pillow to the right side through the overlapped back closure. Press. Stitch in the ditch between the patchwork borders and the pillow center to form the flange pillow edge.

Piling Pillows Higher and Higher

Making a pillow can be a small experiment with creativity. Perhaps, you want to try a technique without working on a grand project.

I love crazy quilts but never have the time or enough of the fabrics, the velvets and silks, to make a large quilt. Making a crazy quilt pillow was the solution for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the patchwork and the hand embroidery stitching. I have my small pillow completed but I'm still dreaming of that large crazy quilt I will make someday in the future.

Sunshine and warm summer days, these are the ideas that came to mind when I saw this gay sunflower fabric. Why not decorate with a giant sunflower and bring the summer day inside my home? This pillow became the star with a cast of "Sunflower Cube" pillows and of course, a wall quilt to match. My, did I really work backward, making the pillows first and then the quilt? Instructions for this project are in my book, Quilting Through the Seasons.

As you can see the pillow pile is reaching ever upward. 

Sparkle Your Decor with Pillows

Snowball Fight Bed Quilt

80" x 94"

Sharon V. Rotz

After many years of working with decorators making custom soft furnishings, I've grown to love the sparkle pillows can give to your room. I thought it would be fun to look at a number of pillow ideas.

A pillow idea can be as simple as making an extra block from your quilt. These pillows named "Throw Snowball Pillows" laughingly refer to what often happens to them in a lively household. An extra block from the quilt border makes a fast quilted pillow top. Add a solid border to size it for a standard purchased pillow form and you can finish in a snap.

The instructions for making "Throw Snowball Pillows", "Snowball Pillowcases" and the "Snowball Fight Bed Quilt" are all in my book, Quilting Through the Seasons.

How have you decorated with quilted pillows?  Share your ideas by commenting to this post.

I'll be back with more pillows, pillows, pillows.