Star Filled Skies Pillow Tutorial - Weekend Quilting Bonus Project!

In my book - Weekend Quilting (available here) one of the projects is a Lap Quilt called - Star Filled Skies.  When I created this design, due to the number of colours and prints I used, there were some blocks left over that were not used in making the quilt.  I decided after some discussion with my Editor that I wanted to keep the pattern written with the extra blocks otherwise the cutting instructions would have become fiddly and more complicated.  I also admit that I like a few extra blocks to play with the colours and placement of patterns to achieve the perfect layout.

So after keeping the extra blocks it was decided that I thought it would be great to use them to make a Pillow from these leftover blocks to have a Quilt and Pillow set.  Below is a Tutorial for how to construct the Pillow.  You will need a copy of Weekend Quilting to make the Star blocks (or have them leftover from your Quilt).  

Star Filled Skies Pillow

16.5in x 16.5in

Requirements

Leftover blocks from Star Filled Skies

(1 medium and 4 small stars)

1/4 yd Background Fabric

1/4 yd Binding fabric

Cotton Thread

20in x 20in Square Batting

1/2 yd Backing Fabric

18in Zip

18in Cushion insert

(I always upsize my insert by one size from the finished 

size of the pillow for a "plump" looking Pillow)

Cutting Instructions

From your Background fabric cut:

4 - 3.5in x 6.5in pieces for the pillow top

2 - 2.5in x 12.5in pieces (left and right borders)

2 - 2.5in x 16.5in pieces (top and bottom borders)

From your Backing fabric cut:

1 - 4.75in x 16.5in piece for backing top

1 - 14.25in x 16.5in piece for backing bottom

From your Binding fabric cut:

2 - 2.5in strips x WOF (width of fabric)

Step 1 - Layout your spare blocks as above and place the background pieces as shown around the stars.

Step 2 - sew a background piece to either side of your centre star and in-between your top and bottom smaller stars.  Press your seams open.  

Step 3 - Sew each of the rows together, pressing seams open.  This block now measures 12.5in x 12.5in

Step 4 - to each of the sides sew the left and right border pieces.  Press seams open.

Step 5 - sew the top and bottom border pieces to your pillow top.  Press seams open.  Your finished Pillow top will now measure 16.5in x 16.5in.

Step 6 - Take your pillow top and baste to your Batting.  Quilt however you choose.  I decided to machine quilt mine using the outside straight lines of the stars to quilt along side.  You could even hand quilt your Pillow top.  Trim your excess batting.

Zipped Cushion Back and Binding - Follow the instructions outlined in Weekend Quilting using the Chapter - Putting it All Together to show you how to make the zipped Pillow back and how to add binding to your Pillow.

Happy Sewing

Jemima x 

#weekendquiltingthebook, #weekendquilting