How to Make a Modern Appliqué Pillow With Knits
When thinking about modern textiles, words like "appliqué" and "fringe" are probably not at the top of your mental list. One is a traditional quilt motif and the other is...hmmm...what I request from my hair stylist every two years even though I KNOW BETTER. In this post I will show you how I took inspiration from Edyta Sitar's newest book, Pillow Talk, to create a fun, modern appliqué pillow with knits.
I was gifted this book by the Fat Quarter Shop so I could participate in some friendly competition on their blog. Be sure to check out this blog post so you can cast your vote in our pillow fight!
Modern Appliqué Pillow Supplies
This isn't your typical quilted pillow because I used all knit fabrics. Some jersey knits, but mostly interlock knits because I like that they don't curl at the edges. I find that easier to sew.
- Birch Fabrics knits
- DMC pearl cotton thread
- Glue stick
- Leather thimble
- Snips
- Needles
- 18" pillow form
- Bohemian Garden quilt pattern and the FREE Bohemian Garden extension templates (If you choose to deviate from the original Mother's Day pattern.)
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How to Make a Modern Appliqué Pillow With Knits
Like I said before, the base design of this pillow is the Mother's Day pattern from the book, Pillow Talk. In this book you are instructed to use regular woven cotton fabric and fusible webbing to adhere the appliqué pieces. Since I can be a bit lazy when it comes to appliqué, I like to use knit fabric whenever possible.
Why knits? Well, my darlings, knits don't fray! If you are new to sewing with knits, definitely check out this post on How to Sew with Jersey and also Is Knit a 4-Letter Word? How to Sew with Knits!
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I used tiny dabs of glue from a glue stick and viola! No need for fusible webbing – my raw-edge shapes were in place with very little fuss!
Hand Quilting the Appliqué: Two for One!
After I have my appliqué pieces basted, I create my quilt sandwich and baste those layers together, usually with a bit of glue from the glue stick again. (I keep it simple.) Once the three layers are ready, I sew the appliqué pieces and quilt the layers together by sewing through all three layers.
The extra great thing about using this technique on a pillow is even if you don't catch the back layer every time, it doesn't matter because no one will see the inside of a pillow.
For a full video series showing you how I hand quilt with knits, check out these three videos on making a wholecloth Bohemian Garden quilt. The first one is seen below.
I created a very simple overlapping flap for the back of the quilt and then finished the edges with regular quilt binding. Check out this video to see how I sew machine binding and then hand stitch it down.
Are you excited to go forth and make your own modern appliqué pillow with knits? I hope so! This is such a gratifying project with very little special supplies needed. Let me know what you think in the comments and please go vote!!
