Today I’m sharing a tutorial featuring my Happy at Home fabric collection from Riley Blake Designs. I was going to stay with a friend in Utah and attend Garden of Quilts (it was amazing! You have to go!). I wanted to bring something for her kids and decided the 7 year old, avid reader would love a reading pillow. (The teenage boys got gift cards for food – you have to know your audience 😉)
As you can see from the photo – she’s pretty excited about it.
There are 24 prints and a panel in the Happy at Home collection so I had a lot to choose from. I debated using and envelope pillow cover but in the end really wanted to use the “Love lives here” square from the panel so the pillow it sewn into the cover.
Since this little girl loves blue and cheery colors I went with the the combination below. Love definitely lives in her house so that panel square was perfect!
Below is a video tutorial of how simple this Reading Pillow is to put together.
You can find detailed written instructions on my blog as well.
MATERIALS USED:
Fabric 1: (Panel)
½ yard or Fat Quarter if not using the panel
• A – (1) 16½” square
Fabric 2: (Aqua Main)
½ yard or Fat Quarter
• B – (1) 16½” square
Fabric 3: (Lemon Vignettes)
½ yard or Fat Quarter
• C – (1) 10” x 16½”
Fabric 4: (Teal Dots)
1/3 yard or Fat Quarter
• D – (1) 10” x 16½”
• E – (1) 2” x 16½”
• F – (1) 4” x 8”
Fusible Fleece:
½ yard or Fat Quarter
• A – (1) 16½” square
• B – (1) 16½” square
16” Pillow Form or Stuffing
🎯 SHORTCUTS TO SPECIFIC TOPICS:
00:00 introduction
00:15 cut fabrics
02:45 using fusible fleece
04:13 make reading pillow handle
04:51 how to use a quilter’s clapper
05:27 make pocket bias tape
07:01 attach handle
07:57 Sew pocket to pillow front
08:48 Pin front to back
09:43 Sew front to back
09:48 Add pillow form
11:26 How to ladder stitch pillow closed
14:20 Finishing knot tip
Reading pillows – also called book pillows – are a great gift idea for book lovers of all ages. Pick fabrics that represent the personality and interests of the recipient, add a book and you are done!
For more projects and sewing fun, I would love to have you follow me on Instagram or Facebook. Happy Sewing!
🧵 📚 Tara Reed