Ribbon Pillow - jcaroline creative
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Instructions for Ribbon Pillow

ribbon pillow
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We were asked to make a pillow for Better Homes & Garden's Kids Room Publication. They asked that the pillow be made of pink & yellow ribbons. Unfortunately, we didn't have any ribbons at the time that were just pink and yellow, so we created our own ribbon pillow to incorporate only the colors they wanted. Ribbons used above: 2 1/4" Light Pink grosgrain, 1 1/2" Maize Grosgrain, 1 1/2" Shocking Pink Grosgrain. Pillow form used is 12" x 17". Pillow back was made of Lemon Twist Twill. (Pillow shown with blanket made with Michael Miller's Candy Snuggle Up fabric.)
Materials Needed:
  • pillow form
  • fabric to cover back of pillow (yardage depends on pillow size)
  • ribbon to complete front of pillow (yardage will depend on pillow size)
  • Heat 'n Bond Ultra Hold or Lite Sheet
  • muslin or scrap fabric to back ribbons
Step 1:

Measure the pillow form and use the calculator below to determine the size of your front and back pieces. You will make the front piece out of ribbons and you will cut two pieces of fabric for the back.
Width of pillowHeight of pillow
  

Calculations: (includes 1/2" seam allowances and 2" overlap on back. Also assumes that opening in back is across shortest dimension.)
Front: Width: Height:
Back (cut 2): Width: Height:
Step 2:

Cut a sheet of Heat 'n Bond Ultra Hold or Lite to the dimensions of the front piece you calculated above. Use Ultra Hold for a good secure bond, but if you are using light colored ribbons, use the Lite to prevent the adhesive from showing through. Cut a piece of muslin or scrap fabric using the dimensions of the front piece above. Again, if you are using light-colored ribbons, you will want to make sure your fabric doesn't show through them.

 Step 2
Step 3:

Cut the ribbons you have selected to the height you computed in Step 1 (height of pillow plus one inch). Do a "dry run" laying the ribbons out to determine how many you will need to get the correct width (width of pillow plus one inch). Overlap the edges of the ribbon slightly to prevent open spots (not all ribbons are perfectly straight). If your layout turns out too wide, don't worry- we'll trim up the edges later.

 Step 3
Step 4:

Now you are ready to adhere the ribbons to the Heat 'n Bond sheet. Lay the sheet adhesive side up on the ironing board. Carefully place your first ribbon on the adhesive and press with an iron, being sure not to touch any of the exposed adhesive with the iron.

 Step 4
Step 5:

Continue to add ribbons and press, overlapping the previous ribbon slightly.

STep 5
Step 6:

When all the ribbons have been placed and pressed, press entire piece thoroughly to ensure ribbons are adhered to the sheet.

 Step 6
Step 7:

Turn piece over and peel paper backing from Heat 'n Bond. Lay muslin or other fabric on adhesive and press thoroughly.

 Step 7
Step 8:

With your sewing machine, topstitch the overlapping edge of each ribbon.

 Step 8
Step 9:

You can trim the wayward ends of ribbon and trim the width down to the correct dimensions. A rotary cutter and ruler work great for this.

 Step 9
Step 10:

Cut the two pieces of fabric for the back based on your computations in Step 1. If your pillow form is a rectangle (versus a square), realize that the computations assume the split in the back will be across the shortest dimension.

 Step 10
Step 11:

On the shortest dimension of one of your pieces, press under 1/2" and topstitch".

Step 11
Step 12:

On the shortest dimension of the other piece, press under 1/2" and then 2" and stitch. If you fabric has a one-way design (you can tell if it's right-side up or upside down), make sure you finish the correct ends of each piece.

 Step 12
Step 13:

With right sides together, pin the front to the back pieces. The smaller back piece (the one you hemmed 2 1/2") should be pinned under the larger back piece (the one you hemmed 1/2"). Those pieces will overlap by 2". Sew using a 1/2" seam allowance.

 Step 13
Step 14:

Turn cover right side out and insert pillow form. Ta da!

 Step 14
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copyright 2006 j. caroline designs, l.p.