Valentine Pillow

By a bit of luck, I found Sanae's blog in early January where she and Ute were hosting their second Secret Valentine Exchange. We filled out a questionnaire with contact information, favorite colors, and places we posted (Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, blog) which were sent to our secret Valentine. Sanae suggested using our stash to make a present.

My Valentine is a lovely Irish woman who loves mustard. Me, too! Tracking through her photos I saw several pillows. One was made of mattress ticking (I had some leftover from the placemats.) Several others had beautifully tied bows. Suddenly I had an idea.

Bow tie pillow with mattress ticking

The pillow is 16". Since the mattress ticking is canvas-weight, it didn't need to be quilted. The bow is  8" wide indigo and 8.5" wide mustard broadcloth. Both were cut about 18" long to leave room for the gathering. These were sewed into a tube, then turned and pressed so the mustard appears to be a narrow piping. A second, smaller tube made the center of the bow.

ChrissieD had a wonderful tutorial on her blog for a hidden zipper closure on a pillow. Ironing double-sided fusible to the zipper made it the easiest I've ever put in.

Here's a close up of the zipper...

Bow Tie pillow back showing hidden zipper

and a full view of the back.

Bow tie pillow back

Thanks, Sanae and Ute, for a delightful Valentine party!

Enjoy the day, Ann