Modern Quilted Appliqué Pillow

It has been absolutely frigid lately in the Midwest, and when it is that cold I just want to sit under blankets as much as possible. Hand sewing is perfect for such days, so I returned to improv appliqué in my latest project.

The technique of improv appliqué begins, for me, with appliqué shapes cut by hand without a template. I eyeball the shape and trim as necessary to adjust to the contours I want. Then I baste the pieces in place and appliqué with matching thread.

I prefer rather dense quilting on appliqué pieces because it makes them durable. This pillow cover is machine quilted about every quarter of an inch.

The finished pillow cover is 19 x 19 and fits a 20 inch pillow form nice and snuggly. The design is a little mid century modern meets 1970s with the coral, gold, and brown square arcs. You can find the finished quilted pillow cover in my etsy shop.

I'm thinking of attempting to make a how to video on this method of improv appliqué, if anyone is interested.

Improv Appliqué Pillow

My latest improv appliqué piece was inspired by dried coral. I wanted to create a shape that mimicked its organic curves, specifically the holes within the coral. The technique I used was the same as my previous improv appliqué pieces (cutting the appliqué shape by eye, basting it a quarter inch from the edges onto the background, and using needle turn to sew it down), with the addition of careful basting around the shapes to be cut out within the larger appliqué shape. I cut the holes one by one as I appliquéd them in order to maintain the structure of the piece and avoid distortion. I'm really pleased with how flat I was able to keep the piece using this strategy.

I had a false start with the quilting, trying out some ocean-like waves which went awry. I set it aside for a while and ignored the impulse to put the whole thing in the trash can. After a couple hours of laborious unstitching, I decided to create a dense, random crosshatch. I love the texture, and the bonus of dense quilting for an appliqué piece in particular is how durable it makes the pillow.

Another change from my original design is the shape of the finished pillow. I started with a square, but I didn't like how the appliqué shape moved across the square. It works so much better as a rectangle, although it hurt a bit to lop off a good 6 inches. It was worth it in the end, as the piece achieves just what I set out to make - a natural, serenely flowing shape.

You can find this unique, quilted pillow in my etsy shop.

Midmod Improv Appliqué Pillow

Okay, so I'm just going to say up front that I am so excited about this pillow. I think it is the coolest thing I have made in a long time, and the technique has so many possibilities, my mind is whirring with what to make next.

Like the pillow I made recently, this is improv appliqué, meaning I cut all the shapes by eye, without templates. I riffed off the square in a square design but added a mid century modern twist with the rounded edges. It turned out just as I intended.

The pillow gave me a chance to try matchstick quilting over appliqué, and I'm happy with the result. The texture is great, and it doesn't overwhelm the design underneath, possibly because I used bold colors. I finally used Living Coral, the Pantone color of the year. Nice.

I will say this 16 x 24 piece took forever, as it is all hand appliquéd, needle turn, using my favorite Aurifil 80 weight thread. The matchstick quilting isn't quick either. But it was all worth it to me. I really love this. Having said that, the bit I enjoy is the making, rather than the owning. If you'd like a chance to add this functional art to your home, it is available for sale in my etsy shop. I doubt I'll make another, so this is a one of a kind piece!

Improv Appliqué

In the interest of creating a hand sewing project for a recent road trip, I put together a small improv appliqué experiment. I cut the appliqué fabric by eye into rough atomic shapes, and pinned them in place. After basting them down, it was just a matter of some leisurely needle turn appliqué in matching 50 weight Aurifil thread. I didn't have 80 weight in the right color, but if you have time to source it, 80 weight is a dream for appliqué.

I wanted to keep the impact of the appliqué shapes, so I chose not to quilt on top of them, echo quilting instead about an 1/8th of an inch from the edge. Then I filled in the background with a free motion figure eight shape to make the appliqué really pop.

I interfaced the back of the pillow and finished it with a lapped zipper, which is my favorite type of closure. The pillow finishes at 18 x 18. It truly one of a kind, although I may be inspired to do a series with slightly different shapes.  What a fun way to make appliqué improv. I encourage you to try it, and if you are interested, the pillow is in my etsy shop.

Memory Pillow

From the scraps of the memory quilt I made last year, I created a simple, 18 x 18 improv pillow for another family member. Strip sets are a great way to use a variety of prints.

I quilted it with straight lines to keep the focus on the fabrics, which were cut from men's dress shirts.

This type of design works just as well oriented in horizontal or vertical stripes. It's a quick project that will be meaningful to the recipient.

Flying Geese Pillow

I drafted the elongated flying geese in this pillow as a foundation pieced pattern to create really crisp points. The high contrast of the black and white makes the simple design quite bold, which I like.

I quilted the flying geese minimally with an outline in black thread, while I filled in the white with a free motion swirl in white thread to keep the emphasis on the triangles.

I finished this 16 x 24 pillow with a lapped zipper back, and I think this quilted pillow cover will be an even better fit once it's washed.

Quilted Logo Pillow

I created this quilted pillow cover as a gift for my taekwondo instructor. I drafted a foundation pattern to replicate the studio logo, and I'm really pleased with the accuracy I was able to achieve. And even though it looks really good with my Candy Coated quilt, I'm still going to part with it.

The quilting on this 20" pillow took longer than I thought it would, but I'm happy with the results. I used my walking foot and red thread to quilt the logo and filled the negative space with a simple square meander using a free motion foot.

My favorite finish for quilted pillows is an interfaced backing with a lapped zipper and hand finished binding. The pillow feels appropriately substantial and sturdy. I love the peek of red from the zipper.

Quarter Log Cabin Pillow

This project started with some leftover strips from a couple of projects that were sitting on the side of my cutting table looking like they belonged together. I use the strips to make a couple of improv quarter log cabin blocks, and I liked them. I made a couple more. Together these four blocks, deliberately mismatched, create a wonky, disjointed whole. It was a casual, unintentional project that just sort of happened. Sometimes those are my favorite kind.

I made the blocks into a pillow with some straight line quilting, a mustard back with zip closer, and a flanged binding.

The plum and mustard fabrics feel like fall to me. The pillow finishes at 20" square.

Zip It Pillow

My older son decided he wanted to take on a sewing project this summer, and he chose the Zip It Pillow from School of Sewing. He's done a little sewing before, so he was able to make it mostly on his own, including the lapped zipper (I helped with the rotary cutting and the binding). This is the book to use if you want to learn to sew or to teach someone to sew. Shea's instructions are precise and clear. Remember, I said my eleven year old installed a lapped zipper pretty much on his own. The result is a neat, sturdy pillow that should survive lots of squeezes, tosses, and otherwise affectionate use.

The novelty print is Supernova by Dear Stella, and my son chose this snazzy orange binding as a nice contrast. It turned out perfectly for his room, and he is very proud of his work.

Inspired by Improvising Tradition, Again

I have more of projects share with you today, made by readers of Improvising Tradition.

Veronica, a talented graphic designer, business owner, and quilter from my ancestral homeland of Scotland, made this lovely quilted pillow cover based on the By the Fireside pillow in the Strips section of the book. I really like her use of prints in this.

 

Eva made matching placemats and a table runner from the Ribbons Placemats pattern in the Slice and Insert portion of the book. She won a second place ribbon on them at the Des Moines Area Quilt Guild Show that's runs in conjunction with the AQS Des Moines show!

I was so pleased to see the progress shots on Instagram of Cassie's baby quilt from the Shattered Chevrons pattern. This was her first FMQ project start to finish, and it looks so pretty. I love the colors she chose!

I had a sweet email from Kaaren who doesn't use social media but shared this set of coasters made from the Jewel Box Coasters pattern from the Strata section of the book. This is actually a pattern you can read for free as a excerpt on Sew Mama Sew.

 

With the strata technique under her belt, Kaaren made this cute baby quilt, a variation of the cover quilt, Waterfall.

I'd love to see what you make too. Send me a photo via email or use the hashtag #improvisingtradition online to share. I'm happy to link to your blog or other social media site, with your permission.

Perfect Pillowcases

With Christmas around the corner, I realized I hadn't made anything for my boys. These pillowcases were the perfect quick project to fit into my holiday to do list. 

I followed the pattern from School of Sewing. The pattern is really well written and features a self-lined border, optional flange, and all French seams. I'm confident they will withstanding frequent washings because all the raw edges are enclosed and all the seams reinforced.

I found the fun Star Wars print at my local fabric store, Modern Makers (there is still some available, local peeps!), and I paired it with a dot and text print from my stash.

I know my boys are going to love finding these in their stockings. If you've got part of an afternoon or evening free, you've still got time to make a couple for someone on your list.

Quilted Pillow Times Four

I had so much fun making these quilted pillow covers. I chose some of my favorite shots cottons to create simple square in a square pillow tops. Then I went to town trying new free motion quilting designs from Christina Cameli's Step-By-Step Free-Motion Quilting book. The designs are called Portholes, Leafy, Flourish, and Spectrum.  This is Flourish, a fluid variation on a simple paisley design.

I think I've found my favorite methods of pillow backing this time. I used fusible fleece to interface the backing and closed the pillow with a lapped zipper. The result is sturdy and polished.

I've listed the pillow covers in my etsy shop. Here's a tip for puffy, full pillows. Use a pillow form, feather preferably, that is slightly larger than your cover. These covers are 18", and I used a 20" form.

Wonky Stacks Pillow

I came across a beautiful improv quilt by Kathy Loomis via Pinterest and was pleased to find an informative blog post attached. Kathy explains the technique for making what I'm calling wonky stacks, a method she learned in a workshop with Nancy Crow. The technique is one of those easy, genius methods you immediately wonder why you didn't think of on your own. I pulled out my scrap strips to play (this technique is the perfect use for scraps). The method is so simple! Just sew strips together in groups of three (using light, dark, light or dark, light,dark), subcut into bars, and stack.

I trimmed the bars to  4 1/2" wide and joined enough to make a column 20 1/2" long. I joined five columns to create a 20" pillow top.

It was so fun, I made another, playing with value by using light aqua strips paired with navy strips.

I quilted the orange pillow in straight lines and the blue pillow in a fun lily pad free motion design from Christina Cameli's book on free motion quilting. I backed both pillows with a simple self-lining envelope closure (tutorial from Crazy Mom Quilts).

 

In the off chance you don't want to rush to your sewing machine and make your own, both pillows are available in my etsy shop.