{  Make sure to enter the Accuquilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter Giveaway by clicking here.  }

Part Two ~ Creating the Pillow Case using the fabric piece we created in Part One will go very quickly.  The longest thing to sew for this pillow is creating the pieced fabric.  {PS ~ Ms. Diva wants me to let you know that she loves her new pillow.  She is constantly pointing at the different colors.  Must be love, LOL!}

You can use these steps to make a toddler pillow case using any fabric you wish, pieced or not.

———————————————————————————–

For this part of the tutorial you will need:

Coordinating fabric

Contrasting and/or Coordinating thread

Pillow {my toddler pillow form is from Joann’s}

Pieced Fabric from previous step

Rotary Cutter and Mat

Long Ruler to use for cutting

———————————————————————————–

Trimming down your pieced piece was that last step in Part 1.  For the front of a Toddler pillow your piece needs to be 16.5″ by 10.5″ {the 1/2 inch is for your seam allowances}.  I wanted to have a boarder show up on the front of the pillow, so this piece I am starting with is only 13″ by 9″.  Here is how I added a border to create the finished look.

Trim matching pieces of fabric {or unmatching fabrics, your choice as always} for the top and bottom borders.  I used 2″ by width of fabric {WOF}.  You are trimming these down in a few steps, so have the fabric wider and longer than needed is just fine.  If you are running low of fabric you can take your time in measuring and being more precise the the size of fabric you cute.

Attach the strips to the top and bottom, press the seams open, and trim the long ends hanging off.  You can trim the ends before you open the seams if you prefer.  Remember sewing is all about finding out what works for you!

Here is where I added a decorative stitch on the Hot Pink in Lime Thread.  It is a triple stitch {see my machine settings below}.  I enjoy adding this detail to lots of things, and first discovered the triple stitch when making my Butterfly Accessories.

Here is a quick peak at a 1/4″ foot versus the normal sewing machine foot.  I use the 1/4″ foot for all my seams.  The metal tab guides the fabric as you sew to help you achieve that perfect 1/4″ seam allowance.  This is very helpful when sewing anything, quilting or sewing, where you need to be precise in your seam allowances.  When I am sewing, I will normally have both feet at my fingertips and switch back and forth depending what I am doing.  Make sure if you are using your 1/4″ foot for the first time to double check where your needle is.  On my foot/machine I need to be on a center stitch setting, but my machine’s default is to be on the left side.  I am not admitting how many times my machine has beeped at me to tell me it is ‘stuck’ due to me not changing to the center stitch setting beforestarting to sew, LOL!

Now the next step is to add your top and bottom strips.  My Green Pieces from the Moda Citrus pack from The Fat Quarter Shop, were 3″ or 4″ and the WOF.  Somehow I missed getting a picture of that step, but it is just like attaching the pink pieces.  The green pieces go the length of pieced piece, including along the pink pieces you attached above.

In the above picture you can see the triple stitch detail under the ruler.  Trim up your piece now.  Double check how wide your boarders need to be.  For this pillow my pink boarders needed too be 3/4″ to achieve the width I needed.  So, add 1/4″ {seam allowance}, line up your ruler and cut.  If you don’t have a rotary cutter, you can mark your line with a pen or pencil since this edge will be inside the finished pillow case.  Below is the trimmed up piece.  Notice that the green ends are wider than the pink.  You can’t really see in this picture, but the lime triple stitch on the pink really pulls the colors together.

To create the back of the pillow, cut two pieces.  Again you can use matching or unmatching fabrics.  I stuck with the aqua/teal for both pieces on my pillow.  Isn’t this the most gorgeous shade?!?!  I am definitely in love with this fabric bundle.  Use an overcast stitch, or fold and stitch the edges that will be overlapped.  This prevent fraying when the pillow case goes through the wash.  For a toddler pillow, piece one should be at least 12″ by 10.5″ and piece two should be 6″ by 10.5″.  This will allow you to have about 3″ of overlap once you have the pillow stuffed into the pillow case.

Place your pieces and stitch around the outside.  I used my 1/4″ foot and a straight stitch.  Than I went back around with the normal foot and a zig-zag to secure the edge.  You can use your serger for this step too.  Using a zig-zag {or serger} will really help with the pillow case’s durability and ability to stand up to multiple washings.  Something all child friendly projects need help with, LOL.

Here you can see the overlap, and what the overcast stitch looks like on the back fabric.

Now, stuff you pillow in, and you are finished!  Ms. Diva loves her new pillow.  I did this while she was sleeping {hence some of the discolored/distorted photos}, and her look when she woke up to the new, slightly brighter pillow case was priceless.

Enjoy making your own fun and funky toddler pillows!  This size pillow is also fantastic for older children and adults for travel pillow for airplane or car travel.  The Accuquilt Giveaway ends 6/7/2011.

Leave a comment or e-mail me if you need clarification on any of these steps.  I love to help!

 

 

Linking up with:

Inspire Me Monday

Craft-O-Maniac Monday

Making the World Cuter Monday

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple

A Round Tuit {52} at Creating My Way to Success

Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative

M.M.M. Day {Making Monday Marvelous Day at C.R.A.F.T.}