These pillows are fun to make. Use a variety of embroidery stitches and mix up the thread colors. You can use matching or contrasting colors. The background can be one piece of fabric, or it can be pieced to make a 20½˝ × 20½˝ square in any combination of fabrics and colors. This is a design where anything goes—just have fun!
MATERIALS
Yardage is based on 44˝ (112cm) wide fabric, unless otherwise noted. Yardage is for 1 pillow.
Prints: ¾ yard (70cm) or several prints for piecing pillow front and back (I pieced mine with several different fabrics.)
Vase: 1 piece 6˝ × 11˝ (16cm × 30cm)
Bright wool felt: 8 pieces 5˝ × 10˝ (15cm × 25cm) in bright colors for flowers and bird
Green wool felt: 2 squares 10˝ × 10˝ (25cm × 25cm) of contrasting greens for stems and leaves
Black wool felt: 1 square 1˝ × 1˝ (2.5cm × 2.5cm) for bird’s eye
Fusible batting: 20½˝ × 20½˝ (52cm × 52cm)
Muslin (or similar): ¾ yard (70cm) for appliquéd pillow top backing
Zipper: 18˝ (46cm)
Perle cotton thread: size 8 in a variety of colors
Pillow form: 22˝ × 22˝ (56cm × 56cm)
CUTTING
Prints
Cut 1 square 20½˝ × 20½˝, or if you are piecing the pillow front, stitch the fabrics together and then cut the square.
Muslin
Cut 1 square 20½˝ × 20½˝.
Backing
Cut 2 pieces 11⅜˝ × 20½˝.
Appliqué pieces
Copy the Still Life Pillows appliqué patterns (pages 107 and 108) at 100%. The patterns give you the shapes to cut, and the pattern pieces show suggested stitching. I don’t always specify the exact number of pieces to cut, as this is your opportunity to make the project your own.
Note: For cotton or linen fabrics, trace around the freezer paper and cut out with a ¼˝ seam allowance. For wool felt, there is no need to trace around the pattern or leave a seam allowance.
1.Trace the appliqué patterns onto the dull (paper) side of freezer paper and cut on the drawn lines.
2.Press the freezer-paper templates onto the right side of the appropriate felt or fabric.
3.Cut out all the appliqué pieces. Refer as needed to the following suggestions for fabric for the appliqué pieces:
Vase: Use the appropriate template for the vase shape you want to use.
Green felt: Cut 10 leaves. Use a rotary cutter to cut stem strips approximately ¼˝ × 12˝.
Felt for the bird: Use the appropriate templates for the bird shapes you want to use.
Bright felts: Cut small circles for the flower centers either using the templates or cutting them freehand.
Appliqué
Note: I like to stitch as much of the appliqué as I can before I apply it to the background. Refer to Appliqué Basics (page 5) and Embroidery Stitches (page 9) as needed.
Vase
Pin the vase to the background. Needle-turn the sides, leaving the top edge open to insert the stems.
Bird
Stitch the wing to the body using backstitch; then stitch the eye to the body with a colonial knot.
Flowers
1.On the smaller center circles, cut away a tiny circle in the center—this works like reverse appliqué, revealing the color of the background.
2.Refer to Flowers for the Tree (page 37) to stitch the flower centers to a larger piece of felt in a contrasting or complementary color. Follow the stitches indicated on the patterns or make up your own. After you have stitched the centers, cut out the larger circle. You can use the pattern as a guide or simply cut freehand.
Leaves
Stitch a small piece of the lighter green felt to the center of the leaves. Follow the stitches indicated on the pattern or make up your own.
Add All the Shapes to the Background
To arrange all of the appliqué pieces on the background, it is helpful to use a design wall (page 8). If you don’t have access to one, you can use a table or even the floor. Use the project photo (page 47) as a guide for placement.
1.Arrange the flowers on the pillow front 20½˝ × 20½˝ background. Place the stems so that they start inside the vase and trail out to the flowers. The stems should extend approximately ½˝ under the flowers. Arrange the leaves and the bird until you are happy with the composition.
2.Take a photo of your design that shows where all the pieces will go. Then take away the flowers, leaves, and bird and pin the stems to the background. Stitch the stems in place with running stitch or backstitch.
3.Place the flowers back on the stems; then pin and stitch them in place. Continue adding pieces, pinning and stitching as you go.
4.When you have completed the entire appliqué, stitch down the top edge of the vase.
5.You can add extra embellishment, such as buttons and beads, for added dimension.
Finish
1.Press the fusible batting to the back side of the pillow front, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Press lightly, as you don’t want to flatten the felt shapes.
2.Trim the pillow top if necessary. Place the muslin 20½˝ × 20½˝ piece against the batting side of the front, and staystitch around the outside edges. This helps stabilize the appliqué and neaten the back of the pillow top.
3.Refer to Pillow Back (page 45) and Finish the Pillow (page 46). Using the backing 20½˝ × 11¼˝ pieces, insert the zipper and finish the pillow.