A's Pillow Project--First Finish 2nd Quarter FAL 2019

Fabrics, old pillow and pillow form 

Some time ago, my daughter, A, purchased a couple pieces of fabric to make a few pillows to freshen the look of her living/family room. It seemed like each time we tried to get together to stitch the pillows, it didn't happen for one reason or another. Last week it happened!

Pushing out the corners

She brought her fabric, a reclaimed pillow form and one of the pillows that had been living on her couch. We measured the pillow that was about to be retired and determined it was about 19x18 inches. So we cut a length of fabric that was 19 inches wide. From there we cut a front that was 20 inches long.

Then, I had a brain freeze. I cut a piece of fabric that was quite a bit longer thinking that she could hem the edges and we could make a continued back. . .A was much wiser. After I had failed three times to execute my idea. She made a two piece back. We turned the edge in about three inches so the raw edge would be enclosed and so that the edge would be more stable. Once she made the back, the process came back to me. I have made many, many, many pillows through the years and used this technique most of the time.

Inserting the filler into the pillow case

She put the back and the front right sides together and then she stitched around the outer edge of the pillow. Because the back pieces overlapped, she could stitch the entire outer edge.  We talked about stitching almost to the corner and instead of pivoting at the corner, she stitched a few stitches  on the diagonal. This stitching allowed made turning the corners to be nicely square.

Finished pillows

While she stitched the outer part of the pillow, I washed and dried the filling from the old pillow. We cut a cover for the filling which she stitched. I stuffed it while she stitched he second pillow. I had a partial bag of little batting scraps that I had saved over the years that was just the perfect amount to add to the filling that I had washed. Then it was a matter of stuffing the filler into
the pillow. Of course, the first time that we did it, we had it turned so it didn't fit well. The second time the stuffing process worked well.

I like her second pillow. The foam form used to support a pillow that went with her bed quilt when she lived at home. The graphic fabric design of the new is wonderful and the design matches all four sides as well as the back.

I'm looking forward to the next time that she can come and stitch. She says that she has a couple more pillow forms and she says that she might want to stitch a long skinny type pillow. . . We can do that!!!

This is the first finish of the 2nd Quarter FAL. It was goal number 19 on my list. Since we used her fabric, I didn't reduce my stash goal. I still have stitched 39 yards of the 57 1/2 yards that I want to stitch before the end of the year. I have 18 1/2 yards remaining!