I made these pillows a few months ago for a customer, but since one of them was going to be given as a Christmas present, I though I should wait until now to post them. They are both remade from former things-- one an antique pillowcase made into an accent pillow and the other a skirt made into a throw pillow.
The first pillow started as a pillowcase. The embroidery was done by hand, and it was very old! The pillowcase was incredibly soft due to its age. The customer wanted the initials cut out and made into a new pillow. She wanted the pillow to be green to match her other decorative pillows and decor. I found the green fabric at Walmart. If I remember correctly, it was the Waverly brand, and it was a quality fabric with a nice texture and thickness.
I had to take a few deep breaths before cutting the antique pillowcase, as I knew I couldn't undo the cutting! I made sure several times that my measurements were right before making the first cut!
The pillow is rectangular, but I overstuffed it quite a bit, so it's coming across in pictures as though there are points at the top. You just can't see how pudgy of a tummy it has ;). I like to overstuff as the stuffing can be pressed down over time.
I used the original hem of the pillowcase (at the bottom) and recreated the hem around the other three edges. Then I topstitched around the edges to attach it to the green pillow I made.
The second pillow was made from a skirt that belonged to the customer. I disassembled the skirt so that I could cut two matching square pieces-- cutting it as large as I could.
I machine embroidered the recipients' wedding date in black-- keeping to their black and white color scheme. The numbers are from Herrington Design and the dots are from The Itch 2 Stitch.
This fabric was thin and didn't have much structure, but I stuffed it into submission!
Always keep in mind that you can remake something into something else! The customer really wanted to display the antique hand embroidery but didn't want to use it as a pillowcase anymore. She had the great idea to turn it into an accent pillow.
She also loved the print on her skirt and knew it would match her daughter's decor, so we made a pillow for their bedroom.
If there is a fabric you love that isn't working in its current state, make it into something else!
