Give a Pillow Punch with Easy Sewing Techniques & Scraps – Quilting Daily

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Little by little, I’m establishing a style for our Colorado home, accessorizing with pieces of artwork here and some new furniture there. With one eye on the budget and another on the time I have available for decorating (almost none!) I have been looking for some quick, easy, and budget-friendly home dec solutions.

Here’s one that hit me smack-dab in the face when the latest issue of Stitch dropped on my desk: The Felt Confetti Pillow by Lisa Cox. Not only is it an easy project (made even easier by the way I plan to do it), but I can use up my many felt scraps at the same time.

The instructions in Stitch tell you how to make the actual pillow cover, but being short on time (and impatient to give my room a color boost), I plan to cut to the decorative part and embellish a plain, purchased pillow cover.

Felt Confetti Pillow Decoration

1. Using the appliqué template from the magazine and a fabric pen, draw and then cut out the following from assorted wool or polyester felt scraps: 42 small circles, 40 medium circles, and 8 large circles. Note: You can make your own template with the following dimensions: 1″ diameter for the small circles, 2″ diameter for the medium circles, and 3″ for the large circles.

2. Pin the felt circles to the pillow front, layering some of the smaller circles on the larger circles, as desired. Leave at least 1″ clearance between the outermost circles and the outer edge of the pillow front.

3. Stitch around the perimeter of the circles to attach them to the pillow front using two strands of matching embroidery floss and your preferred embroidery stitch, such as running stitch or blanket stitch.

Of course, you could free-motion stitch the circles on. In fact, you could machine needle-felt the circles, use a fabric other than felt, or use buttons for the small circles.

Personally, I like the idea of spending a quiet afternoon hand stitching the circles onto the pillow front–and then maybe taking a nap with my new semi-handmade home décor accessory!

There are several other home dec designs in the 2011 Stitch Collection on CD you can make with felt scraps. If you want to spruce up your décor in a flash, I recommend you check it out!

P.S. Looking for more hand stitching projects and techniques? Download our free eBook, 4 Fine Sewing Techniques from Quilting Arts: Sewing Ideas to Expand Your Stitchery and Sewing Machine Techniques for Quilting.

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