Scraptastic Fabric Pillow

Using up fabric scraps is not always easy, but with this Scraptastic Fabric Pillow from Shelley Detton, you can use up leftover pieces while adding color and texture to your home!  You can find patterns for decorative pillows here or make your own!

Materials:

• Various fabric scraps
• 2 fabric squares for backing
   

Instructions:

1. Gather your strip scraps and organize them according to width. We  used strips which were 2" and 1.5" wide. The width can vary quite a bit, this is just what we had on hand. If you have super long strips, cut them into rectangles varying from 2" to 10".
    
2. Start pairing up the strips which are the same width and run them through your machine, one pair after the other, without stopping to cut the threads in between. Use a 1/4" seam throughout this project. Try to pair contrasting fabrics for best results.
   
   
    
3. Clip the paired strips apart and repeat process of pairing the new groupings together, repeating until you have ended up with one big, giant strip. Press seams to one side.
    
4. Decide how big you need your pillow to be, and cut all the big long strips into shorter sections that are that measurement + 1/2" (for seam allowances).
   
   
    
5. Arrange the strips however you would like, paying attention to the most dominant fabrics and making sure that they are spaced the way you would like. Stitch the strips together until you have enough to create the dimension you're aiming for, + 1/2" for seam allowances.
    
6. If you would like a flanged border around the pillow as we have done, sew 2 strips on either side, press toward outside and trim even with pieced square. Then sew 2 more strips on the other two sides, repeating the pressing and edge trimming.
    
7. For the back of the pillow, cut 2 rectangles that are the same width as the pillow front but the length is determined by adding about 3" to whatever the half point is on the pillow. In this case, the pillow front is a 15" square. I cut 2 rectangles at 15" x 11" (11 = 8 + 3).
   
   
    
8. Press under 1/4" of one of the 15" edges on each rectangle. Press under again to hide the raw edges. Stitch along that "hem".
    
9. Place pillow front face up on table. Place the 2 rectangles face down, aligning outer raw edges so that there is about a 3" overlap over the middle of the pillow. Pin in place all around outer edge of pillow.
    
10. Stitch 1/4" all the way around, clip corners to reduce bulk. Turn right side out, press edges. If no flange is wanted, insert pillow form now.
     
11. If you're sewing a flanged edge, "stitch in the ditch" all the way around the dark border fabric. Insert pillow form. And now you're done!  Below are some other patterns to consider.