Friday 27 July 2012

Meadow Pillow


I was totally excited to make this pillow from Handstitched Class week 4 - applique week and got to work on it when the post was out!


This pillow is the perfect project with all the three methods used in applique.  I've learnt three new methods of applique besides the needle turn method which I'm quite familiar with -  used it for my previous Baltimore Album quilts.   Rachel  has taught us the sew & turn, fusible web and freezer paper applique method for the poppy flowers, tulip and leaves.  I've used the needle turn instead of freezer paper ( don't have any freezer paper available at my LQS or supermarket! )  applique method  for the leaves.














3 strands of embroidery floss in various colours were used for stitching the applique shapes.  The poppies were stitched using (visible) blind and running stitches and I've opted to use blanket stitch for the tulip and added a sprinkle of french knots above the tulip.   Rachel has also introduce a new embroidery stitch - stem stitch for the stems and I did mine using Pearl Cotton no. 5 thread to give the extra thickness and texture.














The pillow has a simple sewing envelope closure on the back and I've used this Zigzag binding tutorial to finish off the pillow.


This is the best photo I have of the binding stitches

Since it's my first machine binding, I chose a white thread to stitch it as I was not bold enough to show off my novice skills.   Love this new found binding method that is not only fast, secure but beautiful when viewed from the front and back!   Will definitely use it again for future projects -  placemats, table runners, mini quilts, etc.


Because of its' unusual size - 13" x 26", Rachel has also included an easy pillow form tutorial for it.  I've filled mine with lots of polyfil to achieve a plump looking pillow!    This is my first pillow project and it was so much fun and easy to make!  I see lots of pillows/cushions in the near future!  =)








I'm linking up to Katie's Handmade Parade over at There & Back :



Wishing you a lovely weekend!

23 comments:

  1. What a cute pillow! I'm familiar with freezer paper, fusible web and needle turn applique but I've never heard of sew and turn. Is it similar to needle turn? We can get freezer paper here in Singapore; give me a shout if you want me to send you a roll.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic cushion it, it's wonderful learning new technique's
    Very satisfying keep up the good work.
    Hilary.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your pillow looks fantastic, Farah!!! I love all the hand stitching and embroidery on the appliqués. I've only just learnt what needle turn is, but haven't tried it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The pillow is lovely, Farah. You did a great job as a first timer!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a cute pillow! It looks fantastic! I love the embroidery on the appliqués. I also love the colors!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi FarahLin,

    the pillow is so beautiful.

    Greetings Manuela

    ReplyDelete
  7. super cute!

    Which method of applique did you prefer?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your little pillow, Farah! Just what I needed to start my after-storm-sunny-day :)) You're quiet a talent and so inspiring! Thank you for sharing all your work, I'm always looking forward to your blog posts!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your cushion is lovely! So fun to learn new ways of doing things!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You did a great job with the applique and the binding. Love the colors. Such a beautiful pillow.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely pillow! I love the flowers. The colors are nice and cheerful as well. I'm going to look into that binding method. It looks so nice in the picture. I use the freezer paper method of applique. I'm not too familiar with the other methods you mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a cute pillow. I haven't tried applique yet, but will do before the year is out

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your pillow is beautiful, great job on the applique.

    ReplyDelete
  14. such a sweet pillow! I love the french knots above the tulip!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great job! I have fabrics selected for the pillow, but haven't gotten to it yet. You are so on top of these projects!

    ReplyDelete
  16. So sweet!! I love you hand embroidery stitchs, even and lovely.
    For freezer paper method I had done it once. As we can't find freezer paper in our country, my friends and I use fabric glue stick and white paper instead. Use small amount of glue and work fast, If I left it more than a day, it will be very hard to remove paper piece.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your pillow looks great FarahLin, love the flowers. You've learned a lot lately...
    Greetings Roos :o)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Farah, I've featured your Meadow Pillow today...
    http://threadingmyway.blogspot.com/2012/07/threading-your-way-features_28.html

    ReplyDelete
  19. It's a beautiful pillow and what fun to try different methods on one project. I don't think I've seen that method of binding. Is there a tutorial for it somewhere? blessings, marlene

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow .....what a beautiful pillow and good work of applique, well done Farah !

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a precious pillow! I just love it!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!

If you haven't allowed blogger to "show" your email address, I can only respond to you here - so please check back.