Modern Pumpkin Throw Pillow

It’s Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl!  I am happy to be here and share my Modern Pumpkin Throw Pillow.  I LOVE throw pillows and my motto is “there is always room for another pillow!”  This tutorial is made fast and easy with Therm O Web’s Heat n Bond® appliqué medium.  Are you ready to get started?

Supplies:

NEW HeatnBond® Lite EZ Print Sheets or HeatnBond® Lite Adhesive
1/8 yard Black Fabric
1/8 yard Grey Dot fabric
1/3 yard cream background fabric
fat quarter orange herringbone
fat quarter teal chevron
1/2 yard fabric for back of pillow (cream)
18″ x 18″ quilt batting
invisible zipper (if desired)
16″ pillow form
2 small buttons

Step 1 – Make the Half Square Triangle (HST) blocks.

Cut (7) 3.5 x 3.5 cream squares

Cut (7) 3.5 x 3.5 black squares

Draw a diagonal line on the cream fabric from one corner to the opposite like this:

Layer the cream square and the black square right sides together.  The diagonal line should be facing up.  You can pin them together if you feel the squares might shift during sewing.

Sew 1/4″ on both sides of the pencil line:

Once they are sewn, cut along the pencil line.  You will have 14 triangle units like this:

Press the triangles open to form a square.  Press seams toward the dark fabric.

The blocks need to be “squared up” to a 3″ square.  Lay each square on your cutting mat.  Line up the diagonal HST seam with the 45 degree line on your mat.  Keeping the seam and the 45 degree line aligned at all times, cut the block down to 3″ square.  (you will only be trimming up to 1/8″ on each side

I bought one of these mats that rotates, it is super helpful when squaring up quilt blocks.

Now that your HSTs are cut to a perfect 3″ square, lay them out in 2 rows of 7 and sew them together.  Make sure to use 1/4″ seams.  Press the seams toward the dark

Step 2 – Assemble applique block.

Cut the cream fabric 18″ x 10″

Using the patterns below, draw the pumpkins and stems on the HeatnBond.  Iron it to the wrong side of the orange, teal, and gray fabrics.  Cut out the pumpkins and stems and peel off the backing.  Arrange them on the cream background fabric.

Iron the appliqué pieces in place.

Step 3 – assemble the pillow

Cut 2 strips 2″ x 18″ from the gray fabric

Sew the HST strips to the appliqué block, then the gray strips to the top and bottom like this:

At this point you can stitch around the pumpkins and stem in your favorite machine appliqué method and finish the pillow.   Or, you can spend a little more time and quilt the pillow.  I choose to quilt the pillow.  Lay the pillow top onto the quilt batting, pin.

Quilt as desired.  Using black thread I stitched around the pumpkins and stem 5 times. You can see the detail it gives it.  I also added some swirly vines.

This would make a cute wall hanging or table square – just add binding!!

To finish the pillow…..

You can choose to finish the pillow any way you like.  We all have our favorite techniques 🙂  I choose an invisible zipper, just because I haven’t sewn one in a while and wanted to make sure I  remembered how!  (I have a tutorial on how to insert an invisible zipper HERE)

Instead of putting the zipper at the bottom of the pillow I put it toward the top and added a little spider.

Cut the cream backing fabric 18″ x 22″.  Then cut the fabric at 6.5″ like this:  This is where the zipper goes.  Sew the zipper in.  (Again, if you forgot how to do this, click HERE)

Once the zipper is in, add the little spider.

Sew the ric rac on (I didn’t sew right up to the zipper, I put a dot of glue)  Draw an oval on the HeatnBond and use it to attach the spider body.  I drew the spider legs with a disappearing ink pen.  Stitch the legs 3 times and then add button eyes.  Spooky!!

You’re almost done!  Lay the pumpkin pillow on top of the pillow back, right sides together.  You will have excess at the top and bottom.  Center it how you want it to look.  MAKE SURE THE ZIPPER IS OPEN, sew 1/4″ all the way around the pillow.  Turn and enjoy!!!

Click here for the tutorial for the Zombie Dolls!