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Hi! Erin Burke Harris from House on Hill Road here today with a fun fall-inspired project for you. This sweet quilted pillow is easy to make and comes together in little time! It’s no secret that green is my favorite color so I chose to use a rich grassy background with some white, tan and light green prints and solids to make the wreath pop. It’d be equally as beautiful in a traditional fall palette of oranges, golds and reds. Whatever colors you choose, this Autumn Wreath Pillow will be a fun addition to your fall décor.
AUTUMN WREATH PILLOW
To make this Autumn Wreath Pillow you will need:
GO! Rustling Leaves #2 (33390)
3/4 yard fabric for pillow front background and envelope back
batting scrap at least 20” square
piece of muslin or other fabric at least 20” square (will not be seen)
a variety of fabric scraps - I used 12 different pieces, about 7” square each
Double-side fusible web
Marking pen/pencil
Dinner plate or bowl, approximately 9” in diameter
18” pillow form
1. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, adhere the fusible web to the wrong side of your scrap fabrics.
2. Cut your pillow background fabric as follows: (1) 20” square for pillow front, (1) 18 1/2” square for pillow envelope back, (1) 18 1/2” w x 6” h rectangle for pillow envelope back.
3. Make a quilt sandwich: muslin on bottom, batting in the middle and pillow front background right side up on top. Baste and quilt as desired.
For my pillow, I chose to do an irregular grid of straight lines using my walking foot and coordinating thread. There will be additional quilting on top of this when you add the wreath so you don’t want to quilt it too densely. Any allover quilting pattern in coordinating or contrasting thread will work well!
4. Once the quilting is complete, place the dinner plate or bowl in the center of the pillow front and trace around it with the marking pen/pencil. This circle will serve as the guide to creating the wreath.
5. Using the GO! cutter and dies, cut a variety of leaf, acorn and pumpkin shapes from your fabric scraps. I used 17 leaves, 3 acorns and 1 pumpkin.
TIP: Cut some of the fabrics with the fusible side down and some with the fusible side up to create mirror image shapes. The variation will give your finished piece more character!
6. Before fusing the shapes to the pillow front, lay and layer them around the wreath using the drawn circle as a guide. When you are satisfied with the arrangement, take a quick photo using your phone or camera to refer back to.
7. Remove the upper layer(s) of shapes until one layer remains. Fuse these shapes to the pillow front following the manufacturer’s instructions. Stitch the shapes in place along their edges using your preferred manner. For my pillow, I used a straight stitch and my free-motion quilting foot because I like the look of a slightly frayed edge. A small zig-zag, a satin stitch or decorative blanket stitch along the edge of the shapes would all be great choices, too!
8. Referring to your original photo, continue to fuse and quilt the shapes layer by layer to the pillow front until all the shapes are sewn in place.
9. Using your rotary cutter and ruler, trim the pillow front so it measures 18 1/2” square.
10. Construct the envelope back as follows: Along one 18 1/2” side of pillow back square and rectangle, fold and press fabric 1/2” to the wrong side. Fold and press 1/2” again to form a hem. Stitch the hem in place.
11. With right sides together and matching raw edges, pin the pillow front to the larger pillow back piece along the top and side edges. Pin the smaller pillow back piece along the bottom and side edges, overlapping the two hems to create the envelope opening. Sew along the edges of the pillow with a 1/2” seam allowance.
12. Turn the pillow right side out and insert the pillow form.
13. Stand back and admire your work!
