Pieced Quilt Block Pillow Instructions

In this project you will practice sewing accurate ¼” seams and pressing skills. You will also learn a technique for piecing a quilt using fabric blocks and t-shirt sections for a memory quilt. In class we will make a pillow, but the same technique could be used to make a quilt top.

1. You will be given 2 strips of coordinating fabric that are 3 inches wide. Carefully lay right sides together and pin the long side matching the side edges well. You will only pin on one long side, not both.

2. Using paper with a straight edge, sew a ¼” seam on one edge. Measure it using a seam gauge. Have the paper sample approved by the instructor before sewing on fabric. If this is not correct the rest of the project will have problems.

3. Set the stitch length control on 2. Sew the fabric on the edge that you pinned. Back stitch at beginning and end. Pressing Hint: We need to press this seam but if you press too long or too hot it will shrink up the fabric. Keep the iron on a low temp, don’t squirt water on it. Just press it until it stays down but don’t press too long. Press the seam allowance toward the darker side.

4. Decide on the center piece that you will use for this project. You may cut a t-shirt sample 10.5 by 5.5 inches. (If you do not have your T-Shirt today, bring it next block and skip to step #6)

5. Attach the fusible interfacing to the t-shirt piece. You are using fusible interfacing to give the t- shirt stability. There is glue on one side of the interfacing. You put the glue side of the interfacing next to the back side of the t-shirt and iron it on. Be careful about making the iron too hot because it might damage the design on your t-shirt. Check the measurements of the t-shirt piece. It should be a perfect 10.5 x 5.5 inches.

6. Very carefully cut the long black and white strips into 3 inch sections. You must measure very accurately for this project to be a success. You will need 14 sections. (See visual aid to insure accuracy).

7. Lay out the fabric sections and the center piece in a pattern of your choice so that the finished piece will be 16 inches square. That means you will have six small blocks on each side.

Top Section

8. Pin the sections, right sides together forming three sections. Pin very accurately and be careful about stretching T-Shirt Middlebecause Section where you cut the sections apart there is no back stitching. Set stitch length on 2.5. Sew together using a ¼” seam. Backstitch at each end. Bottom Section 9. Press the new seams that you have sewn toward one side.

10. Sew the three sections together using ¼” seams to create a 16 inch square block. Backstitch. Press seams to one side.

11. Pin it in the same manner that you did the tooth fairy pillow. Use double pins in 2 places to remind you to leave an opening at the top, just like you did on the tooth fairy pillow. 1 12. Sew around the edges using a 3/8” seam or use the presser foot as a guide, leaving an opening at the top and backstitching at the beginning and the end. Trim corners and turn inside out. Once inside out, poke out the corners so they are sharp.

13. Flatten and lightly press, make sure to carefully pressing the 3/8” opening inside (even with the existing seam). Remember; don’t melt the screen print on your t-shirt panel.

14. Stuff the pillow with batting and once it is stuffed full, pin the opening (just as you did in the tooth fairy pillow), and stitch it closed using a Ladder stitch. If you need a reminder look at the website and watch the “Ladder Stitch” video. Your stitches should be close together and evenly spaced, about 1/8” each.

15. Trim all strings and turn in with the scoring guide.

Instruction sheet developed by Tamra McNabb in conjunction with Amber at Sew Simple Quilt Shop, Ozark Mo.