A New Merry Christmas Pillow

As part of my ongoing

"Christmas Through The Year 2015"

project,

I proudly present my latest pillow...

Merry Christmas!

This pillow will be mine to keep!

I love the way it matches

our brown couch.

I used my 4th and last (sniff...sniff)

"ink swatch" from Sweetwater.

You may recall the other pillows I've made,

using the other 3 ink swatches.

This "Let It Snow" one really works!

We have a few inches of pretty white stuff now.

I love the sentiments on the next two pillows,

describing what Christmas really means.

I believe in Christmas!

Nothing beats a simple

"Merry Christmas" greeting, right?

For this pillow,

I used some more of my beloved Winter's Lane

fabric by Kate & Birdie Paper Co. for Moda,

in rich brown and red.

I love the way this newest pillow looks

with my Topiary Christmas Pillow,

which I made back in 2013.

If you like that topiary pillow,

you can make your own,

using my free tutorial, found here!

As usual,

I've added a covered zipper to the pillow back.

You can learn how to do that

from ANOTHER free tutorial, found here!

I've made the Merry Christmas pillow

only 12" square.

I adapted the pillow backing tutorial

by cutting my backing pieces out about an inch

larger that the finished dimensions.

It's not necessary to make it exactly the right size.

Just before stitching the backing to the front,

I trim away the excess backing.

This pillow looks pretty from every angle,

with a finished covered zipper.

This petite cushion packs a lot of style

into a small space.

 I'll be sharing more Christmasy projects all year,

so please stop by often, friends!

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Christmas 2015 --- Getting Started

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions,

but I do like to formulate a plan

for my sewing focus each year.

Back in 2013,

I made a conscious effort to sew

something for Christmas every month.

By Christmastime, I had a wide variety

of gifts and decorations.

{See this post for a complete listing of my 2013 holiday projects.}

For 2015, I've made up my mind

 to keep up with Christmas sewing again.

I've got lots of Christmas fabrics in my stash,

and I'd love to see what I can make by December.

It was so gratifying to make this pillow

as a gift for a wonderful friend,

and I was reminded of how much I love handmade holiday presents.

Inspired by that red and black color scheme,

I've already made my first holiday project for this year!

I used two more of my "ink swatches" from Sweetwater,

and I whipped up a pair of holiday pillows.

The first pillow says,

"Joy To The World"...one of my favorite

Christmas carols of all.

I found some sophisticated damask

in a home dec weight at JoAnn's.

I think it sets off the ink swatch perfectly.

Also at JoAnn's, I found cherry red solid home dec fabric.

I used it for the backing of these pillows.

For this pillow, I chose a black and white floral print

for the covered zipper flap.

{Visit this post for a link to my free tutorial...Covered Zipper Pillow Backing!}

The second pillow of the set says "Just Believe."

The simple sentiment goes well with this classic palette.

I really love the polka dot zipper cover.

Believe me when I say this method for making

pillow backings is truly easy and versatile.

To adapt it to different pillow sizes,

just add an inch to the finished dimensions of the pillow front.

Your backing will be a wee bit oversized,

but that makes it easy to stitch to the pillow front.

So here it is, only January,

and I've got a couple of plump Christmas pillows,

all ready for next December!

Stop by again soon...

I'll be sharing yet another holiday ink swatch pillow!

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Let It Snow - A Winter Pillow

I hope all of you have enjoyed

a very merry Christmas!

I've just spent some time catching up

with my good friend,

and I gave her a little gift

that can be used all winter long...

a Let It Snow winter pillow!

For this project,

I used some "ink swatches"

I had purchased from Sweetwater on Etsy.

{They don't seem to be available any longer, but they carry some similar items.}

I used the pattern that was included with the ink swatch,

to create the pillow front.

For the pillow backing,

I followed my own free tutorial

for making Covered Zipper Pillow Backings.

This particular pillow finished at 12" x 16",

so I just started with a backing piece that was about 13" x 17".

I decided to attach the zipper cover

about 1/3 of the way across the pillow,

vertically, for extra interest.

I am sew in love with this project!

The lipstick red ink swatch looks great against

some white-on-black polka dots.

{The polka dots look kind of like snowflakes, right?}

On the back,

I've chosen a large red gingham print.

It contrasts well with the polka dots, don't you agree?

I added my little eamylove label,

so my friend knows that I made this pillow just for her!

My little snowman models are cheering for snow.

So far, there's been no snow to shovel here in my neighborhood.

I have a feeling that we'll be seeing some flakes soon, though!

Have a Happy New Year, Friends!

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