Petal Throw Pillow

We have a new gray couch that needs a boost of color and life so I thought I’d make some pillows. I saw a similar pillow at a friend’s house recently and admired the texture and color. I was hoping I could make one myself. Using less than one yard of fabric and a pillow insert I had already, I eventually got the hang of how to arrange the petals and this pillow turned out well. I spent a fair amount of time in the trial and error stage before realizing that I was making the task of attaching the petals too difficult. Instead of sewing them on one at a time by hand, which was quite a tedious task, I began to pin then sew one circle of petals at a time with the sewing machine. After that revelation the rest of the assembly was a cinch.

Once you determine how large your pillow should be to fit your pillow insert, cut two pieces of fabric which will become the front and the back of the pillow. My insert was 16 inches by 16 inches so I cut my squares approximately 19 inches on each side. Leave enough room for at least a half inch seam all around plus allow for the depth of the pillow too.

Now start cutting your petals. This process felt similar to a wreath project I did a few weeks ago: just when you think you can’t possibly need any more petals, cut another 50 or so! How many petals you need will depend on the size of your pillow, the size of the petals and how close together you place the petals, so it is a matter of personal design. My petals were in the shape of ovals. I’d estimate they were 2 to 2 ½ inches in height.

Arrange the outer layer of petals and pin into place. I found placing the pin on the lower third of the petal was most successful. The pins served as a guide to sew around such that I sewed my circle of petals just below the half way point of each petal. Use thread that matches your fabric so that if any of your stitches are not covered up by the next layer of petals, then they still fade into the background.

Place each subsequent layer of petals such that you overlap your stitching from the previous layer. Give yourself a break and don’t worry about being precise-- you are creating a piece of functional art and the variations in your petals will add to the unique end result.

Once you fill your pillow with enough layers of petals, cut a circle to sew in the middle. I thought a button or a coil of twine or narrow rope would have looked nice in this center spot too.

Turn your completed front piece so that it faces the “good” side of the backing fabric. I sewed around the three sides, turned it inside out, then slid the insert into the pillow. I folded down the edges of the open side and stitched it closed by hand.

I linked up to
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/02/06/made-by-you-monday-85/
and to http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2012/02/overflowing-with-creativity-8.html
and to http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2012/02/08/hookin-up-with-hoh-86/