cityscape: a pillow tutorial
i have always wanted to make this pillow --- bright lights, patchwork city pillow by boo davis, in her book "dare to be square quilting".
it's a modern cityscape, that's sure to delight!
in this post, i will take you through the steps of making the pillow from start to finish, incorporating extra finishes
{adding piping & an envelope back with added binding trim}...
to collect:
- fabrics of choice for pillow top,
- fabric of choice for pillow back,
- piping {optional: i use wrights, premade piping avail at joann fabrics},
- extra fabric of choice for pillow back binding {optional},
- rotary mat, rotary cutter, ruler & scissors
for this pillow, i am using the boo davis' book to create a cityscape pillow...
this tutorial can be used to make any kind of pillow, using whatever quilt pattern or piece of fabric you prefer for the top...
here, i will go over the basics of piecing to create my pillow top.
boo davis is really good at explaining what needs to be done, cutting-wise... for me, i was making a pillow slightly taller in height and slightly shorter in width than hers {so i added cutting notes to the cutting guide}
creating your pillow top
- after you've decided which fabrics to use, begin by cutting all the required pieces, using your rotary mat, cutter & ruler.
the rotary cutter helps in making clean, long, precise cuts.
in this case, we are cutting strips that are 1.5" wide in varying lengths.
{i chose solids, and an aqua ombre by v and co}
- after cutting out your pieces, lay them out to see if you like the look/color combinations...
- pin, pin, pin!
- piecing this pillow requires only straight stitching, and is very easy for the new or advanced sewer/quilter!
most quilting patterns use a 1/4" seam allowance, unless noted.
- in this video, i am using the 1/4" seam allowance, piecing two different colored strips together. once all put together, each row completes a part of the cityscape's building.
- after piecing, press your seams {i use the cotton setting on my iron, with steam}
i often enjoy a cuppa while quilting • two of my fav things!
- for this pattern, i pieced each building before connecting them all together...
- once your pillow top is completely pieced, i take my rotary cutter and ruler and square up/trim the edges, just a smidge, to even it up, before proceeding to the next step.
adding piping {optional}
next, i am adding piping, to make my pillow's edge really pop!
{when making the pillow, i like to use a 1/2" seam allowance}
- when attaching the piping, use your sewing machine's zipper foot
{this allows you to stitch up close to the piping cord} - begin sewing, as close to the piping as possible, leaving an extra few inches of piping cord free at the start
{you will need the extra piping to attach the end to}
- when sewing on piping, and you get to a corner, stitch until you get 1/2" from the end.
- leaving your needle down, lift your zipper foot and rotate the fabric 90 degrees.
- needle down, then continue sewing...
- stop stitching when you get within a few inches of where you began...
- trim your left piece of piping, to meet in the middle of your unsewn cording.
- undo an inch or two of the stitching on your right piece of piping, to reveal the inner cord.
- cut the cord of this right piece --- ONLY THE CORDING --- short enough so that it meets up with the left piece of piping, creating a continuous piece.
- fold the cord fabric of your right piece inwards, and wrap it around the left cord & fabric piece.
- the piece should sit nice & flat.
- pin & stitch piping to the pillowtop, using your zipper foot.
now that you have sewn your piping, there are two rows of stitching around the perimeter of your pillow top: stitching on the cording itself & stitching attaching the cording to your pillow top.
for a cleaner look/end-result, i like to take out the stitching used when the cording was made --- there should be two loose threads where you connected your two piping ends.
simply pull on one of the threads and remove these stitches --- it should easily come undone.
your pillow top is now complete!
creating your pillow back...
for the back of my pillow, i decided to use an envelope-style, rather than a zipper...
when creating your envelope-style pillow back, begin my cutting two pieces of fabric in the desired sizes.
for this pillow, i cut two pieces measuring 16"x16" --- my pillow, when completed, will measure 24"x14" {cutting the pieces at 16"x16" allows for 8" of overlap}
to add a little something extra to it, i made two pieces of binding to add to the finished/visible edges of my envelope-style pillow back...
- begin by cutting two strips of fabric, 1.5" wide {be sure to cut pieces long enough to attach to one side of your pillow back material}
- fold over approximately 1/4" of the fabric, along its longest side, inwards & press, creating a nice crisp edge {see above left}.
- press the opposite side inwards, creating two pressed edges {see above right}.
- fold the two opposing pressed edged for a third time, inwards and press.
this creates a single-fold quilt binding/fabric edging!
- pin your binding/fabric edging to one side of each of the two pillow back pieces {see above}
- sew the edging approximately 1/8" from the pressed edge {see below}
attaching pillow top to pillow back...
- with the right sides {pattern you want to see} of the pillow facing towards you, lay one pillow back flat with the bound edge facing center.
- position the second pillow back overlapping on top of the first pillow back, bound edge also facing center {see below}.
- lay your pillow top wrong-side up, and position on top of the two backing pieces.
{note: i always make my back pieces larger than the top to accommodate for fabric stretching, etc.} - pin, pin, pin!
- begin sewing with your zipper foot, up as close as possible to the piping
{you will not see the piping, but rather a bump in the fabric tells you where it is... } - when using a piping edge, the corners will be slightly rounded...
continue sewing until you get to the beginning of the curved corner edge. - when you arrive at the curved edge, stop stitching, needle down, raise your zipper foot and rotate slightly/45 degrees {see below}
- bring your zipper foot down & proceed sewing 2-3 stitches...
- leaving your needle down, raise your zipper foot again & rotate another 45 degrees, until you are lined up for your next long seam.
lower your zipper foot & continue sewing until you get to your next corner. - continue sewing remaining three sides & corners, until you have stitched the entire perimeter of your pillow.
- trim the corners of your pillow at a 45 degree angle.
- turn the pillow cover right side out, using the opening between the two back pieces.
- use your fingers or the eraser end of a no. 2 pencil to push out the corners.
- insert your pillow form
{i like a squishy pillow, so i use a comfy 95% feather, 5% down pillow insert}
i could not be happier with the outcome of this pillow --- in fact, i have been very happy with all the projects i have made in boo davis' book.
i chose the colors for this piece because a) i love aqua, and b) i wanted a more modern look...
this gorgeous pillow is on its way to a very special person in my/my family's life who has had her eye on this project for a number of years... she is currently facing some all-encompassing health concerns, & i hope this gives her comfort --- letting her know we are thinking of her & sending love from far too far away!
xoxo