Giraffe Art Pillow Embroidery Project

The two pieces of fabric and one piece of stabilizer are cut larger than the pillow in the beginning so that can be properly hooped.  They will later be cut down to 12” by 20”. The hoop shown in the samples is a 14” by 8”. For this hoop size the fabrics and stabilizer were cut to 24” x 14”.  If you are using a 12” x 8” hoop you can cut the 2 rectangles of fabric and one rectangle of stabilizer at 22” x 14”.

Fold one rectangle of the fabric in half lengthwise and finger press a crease; fold it in half crosswise and finger press a crease to create guidelines for hooping.  The marks can be made clearer with a heat removable marking pen.

It is very important with this project to get the center creases lined up in the hoop as accurately as possible.  Use the grids that came with your hoops to ensure everything is properly lined up.

Black on white designs, such as this, always look best if you use a pre-wound black bobbin as well as black embroidery thread in the top of your machine.

If using a single needle machine you will not have to rotate the design.  For a multi-needle machine rotate the design 90° to the right or left and stitch the one-color design.

Trim away the stabilizer about ¼” around the whole design and in the larger places between the giraffe and the trees.

Align the back fabric twill with the embroidered rectangle.  Trim away equal amounts from the top and bottom, in this case 2” each, and trim the sides 1” each to obtain a front and back that measure 20” x 12”.  If you cut your fabric 22”x 14” for the 12” x 8” hoop trim 1” from each side of the rectangle.

Clean finish the right-hand edge of both the front and back of the pillow cover by stitching with a serger or zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine.

Align the two finished edges right sides together.  Measure up 3” from the bottom and mark with a pin. Measure down 3” from the top and mark with a pin.

With a regular stitch length of 2.5mm stitch from the top of the pillow to the 1st pin.  Do not cut your threads but back stitch and come forward to the pin again.  Change your stitch length to 4 to 4.5mm and stitch from the 1st pin to the second pin; change back to your regular 2.5mm stitch length, back stitch, and stitch to the end of the fabric.

Press this seam open and move your pins again to 3” down from the top and up from the bottom of the seam.

Align the top of the zipper face down, but be sure your zipper tab is pointing up to the top, with your 1st pin and aligning the center of the zipper with the seam line. You can pin down the length of the zipper, but I like to leave mine free so that I can make sure the zipper teeth are staying aligned with the seam all the way down.

Put your zipper foot on the machine.  Unzip the zipper a couple of inches.  Aligning the zipper teeth on the unzipped part of the zipper stitch down until you reach the zipper tap.

When you get close to the zipper tab stop the machine with the needle in the down position and raise the presser foot.  Push the zipper tab down the zipper to get it to the back of the zipper foot.  Lower the presser foot and keep sewing the zipper tape down until you reach the pin and the bottom 3” mark.

Make sure your needle is down and pivot at the pin that is 3” up from the bottom. Stitch across the zipper and pivot again to stitch down the other side of the zipper.

When you come down the second side of the zipper and come to the zipper pull again, repeat Step 14.  When you reach the top of the zipper pivot and stitch across the top end of the zipper and back stitch over your original stitching starting point.

Break a couple of the basting stitches with a seam ripper, the putting the balled tip of the seam ripper inside the zipper casing, cut all of the basting stitches.  Pull out the cut threads with your fingers or with a lint roller.

Open the zipper about halfway.  Align the pillow front and back together right sides together, use pins or clips to keep them in position.  Fold the pressed opened ends of the zipper seam together and clip.

Stitch the 3 open sides of the pillow with ½” seam allowance pivoting at the corners.

Serge off about ¼” of the three seams or trim to ¼” and stitch together with a zigzag stitch.  Trim diagonally across all 4 corners.

Open the zipper, push out the 4 corners with a Purple Thang or other blunt tool.  Then turn the whole pillow cover right side out.

Roll the seams into position and press all around the pillow cover.

Insert your pillow form and you have completed your Giraffe Art Pillow Cover. Congratulations!