All Tied Up!

Spring is in the air! And that usually means I get the itch to change my decor (typically flower-related), but not this time :) Have you seen the big bow trend lately? I've seen this cute idea popping up here and there and thought it would be fun to give it a try!

For the pillow, I sewed enough scrap strips of varying widths together until it was at least 17” square (enough to cover a 16” square pillow when complete). You know me and my commitment to using up every last bit of fabric! Most of these strips were short leftovers from sashings or borders. I kept the collection very low contrast, so no one strip stood out or became distracting.

I trimmed up my strip set panel and quilted it with a backing and batting to become the front pillow panel. 

Now for the bow. I cut two strips of this cute spring plaid, 9” wide x 30” long.

Fold them over lengthwise with right sides together and trim one end off at an angle. I used the Mini Creative Grids 60-Degree Diamond Ruler for this (but you could use any angle ruler for this step).

Sew down the angle cut end and up the raw edge side with a ¼” seam allowance on each one (do not sew the other flat end closed). 

Turn these tubes right side out and poke the angled end out with a sharp object like a bamboo skewer. 

Now, find the halfway point on your quilted pillow top panel and pin the raw flat end of each bow tail in place along the edge. Fold the rest of the bow tails into the middle of the pillow panel and temporarily pin them in place, so they don’t get caught in the side seams when you sew the front to the back. 

I quilted up a backing panel and put a zipper in it. Then, I sewed the backing panel to the front, all the way around, securing the bow tails in the seams along each side. Turn the pillow right side out and tie the two bow ends together over the pillow, like you are wrapping a present. 

And just like that! A new spring decor pillow was born :) I could also see this as a super cute Christmas pillow idea! 

Happy Sunday, everyone,

Krista

Follow all my quilty adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Visit my YouTube channel for free tutorials and tips. If you like my patterns, you can buy them on Etsy and here on the website.