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Pillow Cozy
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Add some
pizzazz to plain pillows by dressing
them up with a
pretty pillow cozy. It's fast and
fun, and soon you'll have pillow
cozies for every
season, holiday, or special event.
For the pillow cozy,
we used Thimbleberries fabric,
which was also the inspiration for
the
Midsummer Splendor designs.
The
Butterflies in Blooms Square design
at left coordinates perfectly for a
light, summer look.
Mix and match fabrics and embroidery designs to create a
variety of pillow cozies.
Read
below for these free project instructions! |
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Supplies Needed:
**1/2
yard quilter's cotton -- for
embroidered center block,
back, and inner lining.
**1/4
yard (total) print quilter's
cotton -- two different prints,
for top and bottom panels.
**1/8
yard print quilter's cotton
(for borders)
**Batting or extra-loft batting
**Medium-weight
cutaway
stabilizer
**Temporary
spray adhesive
**Air-erase
pen (or other marking
tool)
**Straight edge
**Quilting cutting mat
**Rotary cutter
**Nylon monofilament thread
**Three - 1 inch to 1 1/8
inch
buttons
**Craft knife or seam ripper
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To begin, we'll will prepare the
fabric for the embroidered
center front block. Using an
air-erase pen or other marking
tool, draw a 9 1/2 inch by 9 1/2
inch square on the quilter's
cotton -- leave at least 3 1/2
inches of excess fabric around
the top of the shape and about 2
inches of excess fabric at the
sides and bottom of the shape.
Measure and mark the center of
each side of the shape by
measuring and dividing by two.
Draw lines to connect the
marks. Where the lines meet is
the exact center of the shape.
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Create a paper template of the
design by printing it at full
size using embroidery software. If you don't have embroidery
software, you can cut a piece of
paper the shape and dimensions
of the design to help with
placement and centering. If
you'd like a recommendation for
an embroidery program that can
make templates, consider Embird
from
www.Embird.com.
Poke a hole in the center of the
template and align it with the
center point on the fabric. Make
sure the design fits well within
the shape -- there should be at
least 1 1/2 inches of space
between the edges of the design
and the edges of the shape.
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Spray a piece of medium-weight
cutaway stabilizer with
temporary adhesive and smooth
the fabric on top. Hoop the
fabric and stabilizer together
by aligning the marks on the
hoop with the lines on the
fabric. Attach the hoop to the
machine and load the
design. Move the hoop so that
the needle is aligned with the
center point on the
fabric. Embroider the design. |
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After the design has finished, trim
away the excess stabilizer on the
back of the embroidery. |
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Measure and mark 3 inches up,
starting at the corners, and draw
vertical lines connecting the
corners to the marks you just
made. Then, draw a horizontal line
to connect the marks. |
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To prepare the fabric for the
top and bottom panels, cut two
pieces of both print fabrics 9
1/2 inches wide by 2 3/4 inches
high (four pieces total). Align
the pieces together with right
sides facing, pairing the
opposite prints together. Pin in
place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam
along one of the long sides. |
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Press the back seams open with
an iron. |
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Lay
the embroidered center block
right side facing up. Then,
align one of the assembled
panels along the bottom edge of
the center block -- be sure to
place the side of panel you want
directly under the embroidered
block, aligned with the bottom
of the embroidered block. Pin in
place and sew a 1/4 inch seam
along the bottom edge and press
the seams. |
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To
prepare the back fabric, cut a
piece of fabric 9 1/2 inches
wide by 18 inches high. Align
the back fabric with the bottom
edge of the bottom panels, pin
in place, and sew a 1/4 inch
seam along the pinned edge only.
Press the seam. |
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Align the remaining assembled
panel (this will be the top
panel) along the opposite end
(open end) of the back fabric
with right sides
together. Position the panel so
that the prints are opposite to
that of the bottom panels. Pin
in place, sew a 1/4 inch seam
along the pinned edge, and press
the seam. |
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To prepare the border fabric,
cut two pieces of fabric 3/4
inches wide by 39 1/2 inches
high. Align the pieces with the
side edges of the assembled
piece, right sides facing, pin
in place, and sew a 1/4 inch
seam along the outer
edges. Press the seams. |
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To prepare the fabric for the
inner lining, lay the assembled
front panel on top of the
fabric, pin, and cut out the
shape. Also, cut a piece of the
batting just as you did for the
back. Lay the batting flat and
align the inner lining fabric on
top with the right side facing
up. Then, align the front panel
on top of the inner lining
fabric with the right sides
together (wrong side of the
front panel faces up). Sew a 1/4
inch seam along the side and
bottom edges -- leave the top
edge open for turning.
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Turn the cozy right side out,
between the front and inner
lining layers (the batting will
end up inside the cozy), and
press the seams. Also, turn the
fabric of the opening in 1/2
inch and press. |
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Using nylon monofilament in the
needle and matching thread in
the bobbin (thread that matches
the inner lining fabric) quilt
through all the layers by
stitching along the existing
seams of the front panel. Also,
sew a 1/4 inch seam along the
top edge to close the opening. |
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Now we will add the button holes
and buttons. To add the button
holes, lay the cozy flat with
the right side facing up.
Measure and mark the center of
the bottom edge of the cozy
(inside the bottom panel) by
measuring and dividing by two.
Measure and mark the center of
the space between the mark you
just made, and the outer side
edges of the cozy by measuring
and dividing by two (total of
three marks). |
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Sew a button hole at each of the
marks centering them top to
bottom within the panel. Then,
cut the holes open with a craft
knife or a seam ripper. |
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Add the cozy to the pillow by
wrapping it around the center.
Then, overlap the bottom edge of
the cozy over the top edge of
the cozy. Pin it in place and
mark the center of each button
hole onto the fabric underneath.
Sew a button at each mark on the
top edge of the cozy. Button the
cozy in place, and you're done! |
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Size: 7.81 x 7.81 (198.4 x 198.4 mm)
Stitch count: 59281
Price: $6.99
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Size: 5.86 x 5.86 (148.8 x 148.9 mm)
Stitch count: 36384
Price: $6.49
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Size: 4.86 x 4.86 (123.4 x 123.5 mm)
Stitch count: 27708
Price: $5.99
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Size: 3.86 x 3.86 (98.1 x 98.0 mm)
Stitch count: 20296
Price: $4.99
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