Blog / pillows

A few months ago, a friend commissioned me to make a wedding gift for her friend, Annette. The gift was a pillow featuring Annette's wedding invitation, which had been brilliantly printed on a handkerchief.

Using fabrics that my friend had selected, I sewed together a button-back cover (this tutorial came in very handy) to fit over a fourteen-by-fourteen-inch pillow form. Since my machine is ancient, I borrowed a friend's machine to make the buttonholes.

I sewed the handkerchief to the pillowcase by hand, using embroidery floss that matched the yellow stitching around the edges of the handkerchief. I also embellished a few of the invitation's pink and purple flowers, using isolated chain stitches (my favorite part!).

It was fun doing a commissioned project, and after spending so much time with the invitation, I loved seeing pictures of the actual event--Annette's amazing-looking and craft-filled wedding (which can be seen here).

If you recall, back in December I wrote about the pillowcases I made for my swap partner, Mary Ann, for the Bend-the-Rules Sewing Swap. Well in return for those cases, I received this beautifully made pair from Jennifer.

The pillowcases' colors (blues, greens, and khaki) match our house really well, and the machine stitching, which embellishes the flowered fabric, is really lovely.

Know who the...