A zipper inserted in the bottom seam of this pillow cover. If you wish to make an envelope back you will need an additional ½ yard of the outside linen fabric. As linen will shrink, serge or zigzag the cut ends and prewash your fabric. Though there are nine color stops in this design they may all be sewn with black embroidery thread. A black bobbin is also recommended, but not required.
Step 1:
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Tautly hoop the natural linen with no-show stabilizer. Following the manufacturer’s instructions fuse the Heat N Bond Lite® to the cotton applique squares.
Step 2:
Load the design into your machine. If using a single needle machine, you will need to rotate the design for it to fit your hoop. If using a multi-needle machine rotation is not necessary.
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Step 3:
Run the 1st color stop (CS) to stitch the frame around the design.
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Step 4:
Run the 2nd CS as a placement line for the upper left leaf.
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Step 5:
Remove the paper backing from the Heat Bond Lite®, spray the Heat N Bond Lite® side with spray adhesive and position over the placement line so that the fabric exceeds the placement line by ½” on all sides. This requires that you place the fabric at an angle.
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Step 6:
Run the next CS to tack down and embroider the leaf detail.
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Step 7:
Remove the hoop from the machine, do not unhoop. Trim around the leaf approximately 1/8” from the outline stitching. Press the applique with an applique iron.
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Step 8:
Repeat Steps 4 through 7 three more times to applique the rest of the leaves to the pillow center. Then run CS 10 to add the lettering to the leaves.
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Step 9:
Remove the project from the hoop. Lay the 1” mark of see-through ruler on the black frame stitches of the design and trim all sides to a 1” margin.
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Step 10:
Your center panel will now look like this.
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Step 11:
From the outer linen cut:
a. 1 20” x 14” rectangle for pillow back b. 2 4” x 11 ½” side border strips c. 2 3 ½” x 23” top and bottom border strips
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Step 12:
Lay the two 4” x 11 ½” side borders face down over the central panel so that the ends of the borders extend beyond the ends of the center panel ½” or more. Stitch down both side borders with a ½” seam allowance. Serge or zigzag the seams. Press the seams towards the borders.
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Step 13:
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Trim the sides borders even with the center panel.
Step 14:
Stitch the top and bottom borders to the center panel as in Steps 12 and 13.
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Step 15:
Serge or zigzag around both the front and back of the pillow cover before adding the zipper.
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Step 16:
Center the zipper on the bottom edge of the wrong side of the front or back of the pillow cover. Mark the fabric where the top and bottom of the zipper will be.
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Step 17:
Align the bottom edges of the front and back of the pillow cover. With a regular stitch length of 2.5mm stitch from the edge of the pillow to your first mark, back stitch at that mark. Change your stitch length to 5.5mm or to your longest stitch length if it is shorter than 5.5mm. Stitch the seam to the second mark. Change your stitch length back to 2.5mm. Back stitch at your second mark and complete the rest of the seam.
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Step 18:
Due to technical difficulties the rest of my pictures of completing this pillow were lost in transferring them to my computer. However, there are many videos on Youtube that will show you how to complete the zipper installation in the bottom of a pillow. Please watch one of those videos if you need more instruction or see Steps 8 through 17 in our Merry Christmas Pillow
Step 19:
After the zipper installation is completed, sew around the open three sides of the pillow with a ½” seam allowance. Trim the corners and turn the pillow cover right side out through the zipper opening. Press the pillow cover.
Step 20:
Insert the pillow form being sure to fill out the corners neatly. Congratulations, your Fall Applique pillow is complete!
Award winning Digitizer, Embroidery Educator, Author and a Consultant to the Industry, Pat Williams has 30 years of experience in the embroidery industry. Pat has won multiple awards for her digitizing expertise including the 2007 Impressions Awards Grand Championship, Best of Show as well as the 1st and 2nd Place Awards. Pat’s love of digitizing has afforded her the opportunity to write numerous articles for Impressions magazine in the United States and Images Magazine in Europe. In 2001 Pat was named “Embroidery Educator of the Year.” For many years Pat taught digitizing seminars at the ISS Shows in Long Beach, CA and for Compucon software. She now resides in Tucson, AZ.
