Oh Lawd, she's making more Christmas pillows.
This is the last one. Promise. Probably. I just love Christmas so much, you guys.
This little flannel fox was my first (and, well, only...so far) attempt at paper piecing. I talked more about how to make it in this post. The plan had been to incorporate it into a sampler quilt with all of my quilt club blocks, but I just couldn't stand to let it sit in my WIP basket any longer. My quilty friends can relate, right?
This impulse hit me first thing yesterday morning and for the life of me I could think of nothing else until it was done. Creative urges are real, y'all.
I got it out, grabbed fabric for the back of the pillow and a zipper, and was about to throw them together to make a pillow when I realized, duh, I need to quilt it first. Blerg.
I seriously considered for some time skipping the quilting part but just knew I'd be mad at myself later. Then I thought, here's my chance to try out free motion quilting. I'd never done it before and it's been on my list of things to try. If you aren't familiar with the term, you basically use your machine to draw a pattern for your thread instead of doing something more rigid like straight line quilting (which is my personal go-to). You can do it totally off the cuff or use a disappearing ink marker to pre-draw the design.
I did a quick little practice number to try out the technique before I ruined committed to my fox. I was shocked at how well it went. It's like doodling with thread! How have I never done this before?!
I quickly realized that spray basting would be my best friend on this because sewing around pins would be nearly impossible. Something else I've never tried before. A project of firsts, I tell ya.
I can't tell you how fun this was. I went with a faux bois pattern - which is just a fancy Interior Designer way of saying looks like wood grain. My fellow Interior Designer friend Lindsey on Instagram suggested it as well, so I knew the idea was gold. DONE.
I mean look at that! How stinking cute. Toots own horn.
Oh, the possibilities.
I used this invisible zipper pillow tutorial that I posted awhile back to whip that baby into a pillow in no time. Well, no time except for the fact that I was rushing and nearly attached the zipper on the side of the pillow instead of the bottom and had to rip it out and start again. When will I learn?
I finished it late afternoon yesterday so the lighting was all crummy. It killed me not to post it immediately because I'm so over the moon with how it turned out.
And, obviously, it coordinates with my Christmas quilt and Christmas dollhouse pillow since I used the flannel and red fabrics in all three. This is about as close to matchy-matchy that you'll ever see me get. But each have their own personality, which is what I love about them.
Max thinks that pillows are the greatest gift on God's green earth. Other than food. He has claimed this as his own. After I snagged this photo I got 42 other blurry ones of him playing "throw the pillow at mommy before her camera shutter closes."
Also, Christmas Jammies.
Faux bois/wood grain was a great first pattern to go with, I think. It's something familiar, but forgiving. If you were trying to draw something completely recognizable, like stars or hearts for instance, your eye would pick up on it if something went horribly wrong. But wood grain is in nature, and it is totally acceptable if it isn't perfect. In fact, I think it's better that way.
I like to call this photo "OMG I LOVE THESE PILLOWS SOOOOO MUUUUUUCH!"
Yes, it's blurry, but it shows his overall enthusiasm about the process and Christmas in general. And, again, babies in Christmas Jammies.
I reserve the right to post one or two more Christmas crafts before the fat man comes down the chimney next week. Hope you're enjoying seeing them half as much as I'm enjoying making them.
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