Make it Modern Pillows – July 2024 Tutorial

It’s Jamie again from Sew Brainy Designs! It’s year 3 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!

June’s block had some fun offset retro-looking rectangles.

July’s block has some bright stripes that change colors halfway through.

Solids are always my favorite to work with! Plus you know that I love rainbows!

You can use any colors here…it doesn’t have to be a rainbow!

I love the clean lines of this pillow!

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

This month’s pillow features Riley Blake’s Confetti Cotton Solids. The colors I used were Purple, Super Pink, Cheddar, Lemon Zest, Riley Lime, Scuba, Peacock, and Blueberry.

So many good colors!

Now let’s make a pillow!

---

JULY 2024 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).
• To avoid confusion, there is no FABRIC I.
• HST = Half Square Triangle

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!). 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:

• (2) 2½” × 14½” [A5]
• (2) 2½” × 10½” [A8]
• (2) 2½” × 6½” [A6]
• (2) 2½” × 4½” [A2]
• (3) 2½” squares [A1]

From ACCENT FABRICS B and C:

• (1) 3″ square [B1/C1]
• (1) 2½” × 16½” [B2/C2]

From ACCENT FABRICS D and E:

• (1) 3″ square [D1/E1]
• (1) 2½” × 12½” [D2/E2]

From ACCENT FABRICS F and G:

• (1) 3″ square [F1/G1]
• (1) 2½” × 8½” [F2/G2]

From ACCENT FABRICS H and J:

• (1) 3″ square [H1/J1]
• (1) 2½” × 4½” [H2/J2]

Piecing Directions

1. Cut the 3″ B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, H1, and J1 squares in half diagonally into TWO triangles as shown below. You will only need ONE triangles of each color.

2. Lay out (1) FABRIC B triangle and (1) FABRIC J triangle as shown below. Sew together along the diagonal edge using a SCANT 1/4″ seam to create a HST. Press the seam. Trim to 2½” if needed.

3. Repeat STEP 2 to make the THREE more HSTs in the following combinations:

4. Lay out (1) A2, (1) A5, the B2, and the B/J HST as shown below. Sew the B/J HST to the right of the A5 strip. Press the seam.

5. Sew the B2 strip on top of the previous unit. Press the seam.

6. Sew the A2 piece to the right of the previous unit. Press the seam. This is the TOP SECTION of the pillow. Set aside.

7. Lay out (1) A2, (1) A5, the C2, and the H/C HST as shown below. Sew the H/C HST to the left of the A5 strip. Press the seam.

8. Sew the C2 strip on top of the previous unit. Press the seam.

9. Sew the A2 piece to the left of the previous unit. Press the seam. This is the BOTTOM SECTION of the pillow. Set aside.

10. Lay out all the remaining fabric pieces into (5) rows as shown below. Sew all THREE pieces in each row together. Press the seams.

11. Sew all FIVE rows together, making sure that the HSTs align in the correct places. Press the seams. This is the MIDDLE SECTION of the pillow.

12. Lay out the TOP SECTION, MIDDLE SECTION, and BOTTOM SECTION as shown below. Sew all THREE sections together and press the seams.

13. Your pillow top is now complete!

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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 a pillow that has a sunset vibe! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie