Make it Modern Pillows – March 2025 Tutorial

It’s Jamie again from Sew Brainy Designs! It’s year 4 of my Make it Modern Pillows series! I’m so excited and I have some fun designs in store for this year! In case you missed 2022 or 2023 pillow fun, you can click the link below. Last year we started a fun Facebook Group so we can all sew along together!

February’s block had some floating rectangles for a fun mid-century modern feeling.

March’s block is a playful log cabin.

This year I’m using low volumes for the background. I went with Just Peachy from the Hush Hush 4 line by Rachel Erickson for this one.

It definitely feels like spring!

And the peaches definitely add a cuteness factor!

I did a 1/2″ grid quilting with Aurifil 50wt. off-white thread for this fantastic texture!

This month’s pillow features Gingham Collection by the RBD Designers. The colors I used were Micro Gingham Peony, Micro Gingham Marmalade, Micro Gingham Beehive, and Micro Gingham Green.

Lots of pretty colors!

Now let’s make a pillow!

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MARCH 2025 Pillow Tutorial

Pattern Notes

• Please read through all instructions before beginning.
• Seam allowances are 1/4″ unless specified.
• Press all seams open (or in preferred direction).
• RST = Right Sides Together

Material Requirements

For the block (pillow top):

This pattern uses (1) BACKGROUND fabric [FABRIC A] and (4) ACCENT fabrics [FABRICS B-E]. 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) 18″-20″ pillow form (my favorite one to use is the FJÄDRAR from IKEA!). I always use a pillow form that is one size larger than my pillow case to make sure it’s extra full.

Cutting Directions

From BACKGROUND FABRIC A, cut:

• (7) 2½” squares [A1]
• (1) 2½” × 4½” [A2]
• (1) 2½” × 6½” [A3]
• (1) 2½” × 8½” [A4]
• (1) 2½” × 10½” [A5]
• (1) 2½” × 12½” [A6]
• (1) 2½” × 14½” [A7]
• (1) 2½” × 16½” [A8]
• (1) 2½” × 18½” [A9]

From ACCENT FABRIC B, cut:

• (1) 2½” squares [B1]
• (1) 2½” × 4½” [B2]
• (2) 2½” × 10½” [B3]

From ACCENT FABRIC C, cut:

• (1) 2½” square [C1]
• (1) 2½” × 4½” [C2]
• (2) 2½” × 6½” [C3]

From ACCENT FABRIC D, cut:

• (3) 2½” squares [D1]
• (1) 2½” × 4½” [D2]

From ACCENT FABRIC E, cut:

• (1) 2½” square [E1]
• (1) 2½” × 4½” [E2]

Piecing Directions

1. Lay out (3) A1, (1) B2, (1) B3, (1) C2, (1) C3, (1) D1, and (1) D2 into THREE rows as shown below. Sew all THREE pieces in each row together. Press the seams. These are the TOP STRIPS of the LOG CABIN BLOCK.

2. Lay out (3) A1, (1) B1, (1) B3, (1) C1, (1) C3, and (2) D1 into THREE rows as shown below. Sew all THREE pieces in each row together. Press the seams. These are the SIDE STRIPS of the LOG CABIN BLOCK.

3. Lay out (1) A1, (1) E1, and (1) E2 as shown below. Sew the A1 and E1 together and press the seam.

4. Sew the E2 piece on TOP of the A1/E1 piece. Press the seam.

5. Lay out the previous unit along with (1) A2 and (1) A3 as shown below. Sew the A2 to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

6. Sew the A3 piece on the TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

7. Lay out the FABRIC D TOP and SIDE STRIPS with the previous unit as shown below. Sew the shorter SIDE STRIP to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

8. Sew the longer TOP STRIP to the TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

9. Lay out (1) A4 and (1) A5 with the previous unit as shown below. Sew the A4 to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

10. Sew the A5 piece on TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

11. Lay out the FABRIC C TOP and SIDE STRIPS with the previous unit as shown below. Sew the shorter SIDE STRIP to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

12. Sew the longer TOP STRIP to the TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

13. Lay out (1) A6 and (1) A7 with the previous unit as shown below. Sew the A6 to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

14. Sew the A7 piece on TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

15. Lay out the FABRIC B TOP and SIDE STRIPS with the previous unit as shown below. Sew the shorter SIDE STRIP to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

16. Sew the longer TOP STRIP to the TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

17. Lay out (1) A8 and (1) A9 with the previous unit as shown below. Sew the A8 to the RIGHT side of the unit. Press the seam.

18. Sew the A9 piece on TOP of the unit. Press the seam.

19. Your pillow top is now complete!

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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 April with some alternating rectangles! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie