Thursday, January 20, 2011

Dot, Dot, Dot Valentine Pillow

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I’m not a big fan of pink, but for some reason when I envisioned this pillow, it was pink and white. Seeing that I have two little girls, pink has managed to make it’s way into my home. It is my three year old’s favorite color. She was thrilled to see this pillow when she woke up this morning, so I guess I can live with a little more pink in my life until after Valentine’s Day is over.

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This was the quickest pillow I have ever made. Here’s the how-to…


Materials and supplies needed:
  • background fabric - ½ yd
  • felt - 3 different colors
  • pins
  • thread
  • 16″ square pillow form

Instructions:

First, cut your background fabric into three pieces: 17″x17″, 17″x14″, 17″x10″. The 17″x17″ piece will be the front, and the other two pieces will make up the envelope closure on the back. I used white fleece because I still have an enormous pile of it left over from my daughter’s Pillsbury Doughboy costume. It will be years before that stuff is gone.

Now on to the circles. I cut my circles using my good old Sizzix Big Kick die cutter. If you have one of those fancy-dancy new electronic cutters, you could probably use that. Or cut them all by hand. I used 35 circles on my pillow. You may need more or less depending on the size of your circles and how you lay them out.

SizzixCollage
Start to lay out the circles in four columns on the 17″x17″ piece of background fabric that will be the front of your pillow. I avoided putting two circles of the same shade of pink next to each other in the same column. Also, don't place any circles within 1" of the edges of the pillow.

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Play around with the layout. Once you have everything where you want it, pin each circle to the background fabric.

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Next, sew a straight line right through the center of each column of circles.

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When you are done sewing all four columns, it will look like this…

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At this point you may want to hem one of the 17″ sides of both the 17″x14″ and the 17″x10″ pieces of background fabric. I didn’t bother to hem mine because I used fleece.

With the circles facing up, lay your 17″x14″ piece of background fabric on top of the circles, right side down, along one side of the pillow (If you hemmed this piece, your hem should be the side that is closer to the middle of the pillow). Lay your 17″x10″ piece on top of that, right side down, along the other side of the pillow (If you hemmed this piece, your hem should be the side that is closer to the middle of the pillow). Pin all three layers together.

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Sew all the way around the outside of the pillow using a ¼″ seam allowance. Clip your corners, and turn the pillow right side out.

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And of course I added one of my homemade sewing labels (learn how to make them here).

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I like the idea of the pillow, but the pink doesn’t really fit in with my decor. So, this pillow is making it’s way to my daughter’s bedroom, which will make her very, very happy. I think I’ll be sticking with red for any future Valentine’s Day decorations I make.




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41 comments:

Fowl Single File said...

I agree with you about the pink - and luckily my daughter hasn't shown any color preferences yet...she's pretty easy to please. I love the pillow, though. The white background balances out the pink. I love the polka dots and how they're different sizes, but still in nice straight line so they're "organized!" Love the slightly different blog header area, too.

Heather{Our Life In a Click} said...

I was wondering how you were getting away with NO pink and two girls! :)
That pillow is super cute and will look great all year round in a little girl's room! Great job Gwen!!

Jodi said...

I love it, so CUTE!!!

KJ@letsgoflyakite said...

Pink + modern circles = Love it.
Fabulous pillow and great tute Gwen! I have been wondering about those cutters and whether I should invest in one. I think this post has confirmed that I should. Oh the possibilities!

Craftberry Bush said...

Me loves it so much, and the
pink and red together look super cute. You inspire me to tackle my
fear of sewing. Xo
Lu

staci @ lizard n ladybug said...

so so cute!!
I love the red and pink together!

Kyra @ RACKS and Mooby said...

Oh my - love it!! So cute!

Kindra-At Home With K said...

There you go whipping up something GREAT with your sewing machine again! Thanks for the inspiration. It is super cute!

Christy said...

I am a fan of pink, and I'm digging this! I also love the new blog design. :O)

Beverly {Flamingo Toes} said...

I love your pillow!! It's soooo cute!
Love the new blog design too!

Unknown said...

This is just darling!! Would be cute to sit out for Valentine's. (though I tend to favor red over pink in our home, too)

Amy at Ameroonie Designs said...

LOVE it!!! Gwen, this is lovely! love the circles. And yes, you can cut out fabric with an electronic cutter, but you need to use fusible web on the back first and invest in a deeper blade (which I haven't done- so this is just heresay)- a die cut machine like yours is much easier!
xoxo,
Amy

Naturally Carol said...

Hi Gwen...this pillow is cute to the 'nth' degree! I would love you to use up some more of that white fleece for a good cause! I'm definitely going to adopt this idea too..so simple but stunning!

Maya Kuzman said...

The pillow is delicious - not that I imply eating it !! :)
Love the pink felt dots and the design!

Wendy said...

I love it! I'm not a fan of pink either, but seem to find myself sewing with it a lot!

Anonymous said...

Lovely! I don't use pink in my decor either, but it sneaks in a wee bit at Valentine's day since I have 2 girlies, LOL!

abeachcottage said...

The pillow is sooo cute. Love it very much and love the circles too!

Anne said...

Cute, cute pillow! I linked to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-dot-dot-dot-valentine-pillow/2011/01/21/

--Anne

Bethany said...

Hi--I saw this over at KojoDesigns--I love it! But then again, I'm a fan of pink :)

The Modern Lady said...

Adorable - thx for sharing the tutorial!

Liz said...

This is so great and so simple! I'd love for you to come link up at my party today: http://fastdaze.blogspot.com/2011/01/linky-fridaze-2.html

Amy @ Increasingly Domestic said...

Super cute Gwen!
I love the different sizes of circles!

Katie @ EyeSpyDIY said...

This pillow turned out beautiful!

Jenny said...

We are in the process of re doing my daughter's room and I have been looking for cute, quick pillows for her bed. This will be perfect! Thanks for the great tute.

LJabin said...

Now I must learn how to sew, this is wonderful! This craft has motivated me to get my butt off the computer and start creating. I'll be back to see more of your wonderful blog. keep up the creative work.
LuluMarie
Craftingnanny.blogspot.com

Kim -today's creative blog said...

What a darling pillow! You make it look so easy, even for a person who doesn't sew. Love it.

Everyday Art said...

OK, now I've seen a lot of cute Valentine's pillows this season, but that takes the cake! LOVE it. Thanks for posting such a great tutorial also--I've saved that one and will be making it for sure. :)Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

love how cute this is!! If you have a chance I'd love for you to come link up to handmade tuesdays @ ladybug blessings. www.ladybug-blessings.com

Diane said...

My granddaughter LOVES polka dots. This pillow will be so perfect for her toddler bed! Thanks for sharing!

Jess@craftiness is not optional said...

Gwen- I love it! so simple yet stunning!

Katie Lewis said...

I've been wanting to make a pillow like this for a while now. Yours is so sweet. It makes me want to make one even more! :)

Unknown said...

I love it! It's fantastic in pink, but I can see it in a whole rainbow of colors too... Thanks for the inspiration and great tutorial!

Caroline said...

Gorgeous- I'm definitely adding it to my to-do list for my daughter's bedroom!

Jennifer said...

This looks awesome, it's definitely going on my copycat list. I featured you today on my favorite things :)

http://sunshineandchaucer.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-favorite-things_26.html

Katie said...

I love it, clean and graphic...it's beautiful! Now I really wish I'd bought that cartridge! I saw it on clearance once, but at the time I couldn't think why I'd need it as I already have three circle cutters. But none cut through felt like my other Sizzix dies cans.

Thanks so much for linking to A Crafty Soiree and for stopping by and leaving me your congratulations on the new baby we're expecting. I really appreciate it!

Val said...

What a sweet and precious pillow!

LeAnne said...

I think this is adorable! I am "saving" this for when my DGD gets a tad bit older--she would just stuff the corner of it in her mouth right now!
Hey, I FINALLY stamped a card using your blog header as my inspiration! I just love it! Check it out:
Spools of Thread!
Hugs,
LeAnne

Casey said...

what a fun pillow! I really like it!

DIY Crush Blog said...

LOVE this pillow!!!!!!! I posted this tutorial on my blog: http://whimsycoutureboutique.blogspot.com/2011/01/circle-dot-pillow-tutorial-from-gwenny.html
Keep up the great work!:)

Allie said...

I absolutely love this pillow!! I used it for inspiration for my Ruffles and Hearts Table Runner and linked back to you in this blog post:

http://missloviecreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/ruffles-and-hearts-table-runner.html

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Sara vs. Sarah said...

i LOVE this pillow - so cute! Like the idea of using felt to "decorate" it! -Sara

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