Looking for inspiration or just an excuse to make another project? I grabbed my Take Heart quilt pattern to make a single block for a quick pillow project. I love when I can do a bit of patchwork, a bit of quilting, and bit of project construction all in one day. A long day perhaps 😉 but still in a day. And trust me, it really helps if you read through the pattern and actually cut the sizes correctly the first time. It’s 4.25″ Angela, not 4.5″.
Despite my laughable mistakes with cutting (hey, at least I cut them too large right?), I was off and sewing very quickly. A single block is a fun activity to make with just a few curved pieces and a few half square triangles and some squares.
I did opt to make the block a bit larger for the pillow form that I had picked out. And rather than just add a border like any normal sane person, I did the extra math and added partial scrappy rectangular pieces on all four sides of the main heart. I truly adore the look of this even though I was flying by the seat of my pants and using up little scraps of fabric. It’s no fun if the project doesn’t get just a little crazy right?
I particularly love the finish on backing of the pillow which allows for a fully lined zipper cover that can be removed for washing when necessary. I discuss this method for pillows in my book, A Quilter’s Mixology, and give all the details there. A covered zipper allows for ultimate comfort to actually USE the pillow from both sides without any pesky zipper teeth making imprints in your face. Oh and Bonus! You don’t need to have a matching zipper if you don’t have one. No one will ever see it but you!
It’s a bit of extra work, but I really love the look that a hand bound pillow has as well. It makes some steps easier and others last a bit longer. However ultimately I enjoy having the opportunity to throw another fabric into the mix and really give a finished edge to the whole pillow. I use the same size binding and method here that I do on all of my quilts, a double french fold binding pieced on the bias with strips cut at 2.25″. I machine sew it to the front and hand stitch it closed along the back.
My husband is being quite sweet and didn’t argue at all when I plopped that pillow down on the sofa amongst all of my other pillows. Today I’ve won the pillow war! I think it helps that I haven’t added a pillow in quite a long time time. So what are you waiting for? Add a little love to your house with this pillow version of Take Heart. Over achievers can add a lot of love by making a whole quilt to match. Then you can do ALL the snuggling with you and your loved ones.
Oh and I hope you caught my cheeky little piece of fabric I threw in there with the meat. Don’t let anyone let you feel like a piece of meat this Valentine’s day. It can be our inside joke. Make things that make you laugh.
Tips on getting the cleavage to match on the heart? Making the quilt and have extra spaces after trimming between the curved area. THnk you!