Categories: Kid Friendly, Quilts, Pillow, Spring, Summer

Simple block pillows are a great way to show off your favorite fabrics. Anytime you’re making a basic block pillow, you want to be sure include a wide border, since viewed from the front, some of the border is “lost” wrapping around the pillow. The Magic Collection fabrics from Sarah Jane Studios for Michael Miller fabrics is super soft and light enough for summer dresses as well as quilts, so we added some Smooth Fusible Fleece to give our pillows a bit more structure and make for really easy quilting. Find more projects featuring Sarah Jane Studios new Magic line on the Sarah Jane Studios blog here. This pillow works especially well if you’ve needed a lot of the Unicorn Parade border without using the middle of the fabric.

What you need to make this project

Materials: 3/4 Yard Unicorn Parade by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller Fabrics OR; 1/4 Unicorn Parade OR 1/4 of Magic Parade PLUS 1/3 Yard Border Fabric; 1/3 Yard Coordinating Solid Fabric; 5/8 Yard Smooth Fusible Fleece Interfacing 44.5″ Wide; Coordinating Thread; 1 Home Elegance® Pillow Insert 20″ x 20″

Supplies: Sewing Machine; Rotary Cutter and Cutting Mat or Sewing Scissors; Iron

Instructions

Step One

After making my Magic Parade Quilt, I was left with the center section of my fabric between the borders. I loved the varying sky colors and the gold metallic stars and didn’t want them to go to waste, so I used it as borders for my pillows. Cut your fabric into 5 1/2 inch strips. You’ll need to decide if you want to use the whiter center part or the darker blue part. I like contrast, so I used the inner white strips to go with an aqua Unicorn Parade block, and I used the bluer outside strips to go with a white Magic Parade block.

For each pillow, you’ll need 1 – 8 1/2 inch square block from your Parade Fabric. Then two 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 border strips, plus two longer strips that are 5 1/2 inches wide and at least 18 1/2 inches long.

Step Two

Stitch the smaller border pieces to the sides of your picture block with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Iron.

Stitch the longer border strips to the top and bottom. Iron. Trim the ends if necessary.

Step Three

From your fusible fleece, cut out one 19″ square and two 19″ x 12″ rectangles. Iron your pillow front to the 19″ square with the rough side TOWARD the back of your fabric. Trim.

Step Four

From your solid fabric, cut two 19″ x 12″ rectangles.

With the fabric on SMOOTH side of the Smooth Fusible Fleece, sewing with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. (I used a solid, so there was not right and wrong side to the fabric, you if your backing fabric has a print you want the RIGHT SIDES together when you sew.)

Fold the fusible fleece around the to BACK if your fabric, so that the scratchy side is facing your fabric. Iron in place. Trim.

Step Five

Mark some fun decorative quilting lines on the front of your pillow. Be sure to use a pen or marker that will erase. I tried to do some loopy arcs that matched the sky lines in the fabric.

Quilt along your lines.

Top stitch the folded edge of your pillow back pieces.

Step Six

Layer your pillow pieces in the following order:

Your pillow front face UP. Your pillow backing pieces, lined up with the top and bottom of your pillow and overlapping in the middle as in the picture.

Pin securely. (Picture below shows two different pillows.)

Stitch around the edge with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Clip corners.

Step Seven

Turn right side out and add pillow insert. Your finished pillow cover will be 18″. For a plump pillow, use an insert a size larger. I used 20″ pillow inserts with my pillows.