It’s Jamie again from Sew Brainy Designs! Last year I brought you a bunch of modern pillow patterns that I hope you had fun making. And guess what…I’m back again with more pillows this year! In case you missed 2022 pillow fun, you can click the link below. New this year is a fun Facebook Group so we can all sew along together! The group is brand new and I hope you’ll join and sew along with me.
June’s pillow had offset square in square blocks that had fun movement. In case you missed it, click on the link below to check it out.
July’s block uses Split Quarter Square Triangles (QSTs) to make triangle designs.
They kind of remind me of sparkling gems!
There are so many fun color schemes you could do for this!
For this pillow, I arranged the colors in the same order from left to right but rotated their position across the pillow on each row. But, you can also sew colors randomly if you want.
I did a 1/2″ grid quilting with Aurifil 50wt. white thread for this fantastic texture!
This month’s pillow features Sparkler Fabric by Melissa Mortenson. The colors I used (in order from top to bottom) were Apricot Blush, Raspberry, Orchid, Eggplant, Lake Blue, Denim, Riley Green, and Jade.
The pattern has a really neat watercolor paint texture!
Now let’s make a pillow!
July 2023 Pillow Tutorial
Pattern Notes
- Please read through all instructions before beginning.
- Seam allowances are 1/4″ unless specified.
- RST = Right Sides Together
- HST = Half Square Triangle
- QST = Quarter Square Triangle; we will be creating split QSTs that have (2) quarter square pieces and (1) half square piece.
- Fat Eighth (F8) Precut = 9″ × 21″
- Press all seams open (or in preferred direction) unless specified.
- To avoid confusion, there is no Fabric I.
- Cutting the triangles will yield bias edges, so you may want to starch fabric ahead of time.
Material Requirements
For the block (pillow top):
This pattern uses (1) background fabric [FABRIC A] and (8) accent fabrics [FABRICS B-J]. Below are the requirements to make ONE 18″ block.
For the pillow body:
- (1) 22-24″ square piece of muslin or other fabric (for quilting the top)
- (1) 22-24″ square piece of batting (for quilting the top)
- (2) 13½” × 18½” pieces of backing fabric (for the pillow envelope)
- (1) 20″ pillow form (my favorite one to use is the FJÄDRAR from IKEA!)
Cutting Directions
From BACKGROUND FABRIC A, cut:
- (8) 6″ squares [A1]
From each of the FABRICS B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J cut:
- (1) 6″ square [B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, H1, J1]
Piecing Directions
- Cut (1) A1 squares in half diagonally to yield (2) A1 triangles.
2. Repeat STEP 1 for the remaining (7) squares.
3. Cut the B1 square in half diagonally in both directions to yield (4) B1 triangles.
4. Repeat STEP 3 for the C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, H1, and J1 squares.
5. Lay out (1) B1 triangle on the left side of (1) C1 triangle as shown below. Sew the triangles together using a SCANT 1/4″ seam allowance and press open. Then, sew the A1 triangle on the left side of that unit to form the SPLIT QST. Press the seam open and trim block to 5″ square. This will be a LEFT-FACING BLOCK.
💡 TIP 1: Using a scant seam allowance here helps to make sure that your block doesn’t end up too short.
💡 TIP 2: To help trim it correctly, keep the center point of the QST at 2½” from the edges.
6. Repeat STEP 5 to create (7) LEFT FACING BLOCKS in the combinations below.
7. Lay out (1) D1 triangle on the left side of (1) E1 triangle as shown below. Sew the triangles together using a SCANT 1/4″ seam allowance and press open. Then, sew the A1 triangle on the right side of that unit to form the SPLIT QST. Press the seam open and trim block to 5″ square. This will be a RIGHT-FACING BLOCK.
💡 TIP 1: Using a scant seam allowance here helps to make sure that your block doesn’t end up too short.
💡 TIP 2: To help trim it correctly, keep the center point of the QST at 2½” from the edges.
8. Repeat STEP 7 to create (7) RIGHT FACING BLOCKS in the combinations below.
9. Lay out all blocks as shown below. Sew all FOUR units in a row together.
10. Sew all 4 rows together and press seams open.
11. Your block is now complete!
12. Layer the completed block on top of the 22-24″ batting and muslin squares and quilt the pillow top as desired. When you are done, trim the block to 18½”.
Note – if you add dense quilting, your top may shrink a bit in size. Just trim it to the largest square that you can. You can trim the width of envelope backing fabric a bit in the next step if needed in order to match your actual top size.
13. Create a finished edge on the long side of each of the (2) 13½″ × 18½” pieces of envelope backing by folding 1/2″ of fabric over the wrong side TWICE. Stitch a seam near the edge to secure it.
14. With the square top facing up, layer the envelope pieces RST on top of it as shown below and sew a 3/8″ seam around the edge of the pillow top.
15. Trim the edges of the corners a bit to reduce bulk. Turn the pillow case inside out and insert your pillow form. Your pillow is now done! Enjoy your fun modern make!
I can’t wait to see all the beautiful pillows everyone makes! They can be very addicting! Be sure to share them on social media! #makeitmodernpillows #iloverileyblake #sewbrainydesigns.
If you check out my blog, I have some more color mockups and some freebie coloring pages you can download. Plus a sneak peek of a companion quilt pattern for this block that’s coming soon!
I’ll see you in August with some Blossom Fabric and some log cabin blocks!
Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!
Until later, happy quilting!
Jamie
Jamie is the creative brain behind Sew Brainy Designs. This self-proclaimed science nerd loves bright colors, big blocks, Mid-century modern design, and using as few seams as possible. Find all of her Make It Modern Pillows on the Riley Blake Designs blog!