Seaglass Waves

I’m sneaking in one more summertime project before autumn arrives here in New England. I’m calling this pillow Seaglass Waves. It was so fun to create and would look smashing on a wicker sofa on a porch by the sea! This tutorial will take you through the steps to make a single 18″ quilted pillow cover but you could follow the same steps and simply go bigger to create a table runner or quilt.

To start, I used the Sizzix Bigz L Clear Die Bottle, and a selection of Kona Cottons: Ice Frappe, Aqua, Azure, Bahama Blue, Peacock, and Surf. I asked Peg from Sew Fresh Fabrics to send me a selection of seaglass colors.

I cut a 1/4 yard of each fabric selection into pieces 3 1/2″ high by 7″ wide with my rotary cutter. Precutting is quick because it doesn’t need to be precise, and worth it because it minimizes waste. I then cut the bottle shapes with the die and my Big Shot.

I first sewed the columns together in a repeating pattern of Ice Frappe, Aqua, Azure, Bahama Blue, Peacock, and Surf….returning to Ice Frappe after Surf. I made three columns, each comprised of a dozen bottles.

I found that the best way to attach one bottle to the next, was to pin only at the beginning and the end, making sure that the ends were flush.

Using my quarter inch presser foot, I fed the fabric under the machine and adjusted as I went to make sure that the outer edges of the fabric matched up. The curves are subtle so it was surprisingly easy to sew them together with great results.

Here are my three columns completed and ready to be attached to eachother. I ironed the seams in the center panel in the opposite direction as the seams in the outer columns so that they would nest together when I sewed the columns together.

Matching all the seams with pins at each intersection, I stitched the columns together with a 1/4″ seam.

This is a view from the back so you can see how nicely the seam nest.

I ironned my top nice and flat and trimmed it to a perfect 18″ square. Then I made a quilt sandwich and quilted with organic, wavy lines in a medium aqua thread. I cut an 18″ square of High Seas Blue from Seven Seas-Cloud 9 Organic Fabrics for the backing and grabbed a white invisible zipper.

That’s all you need to finish up your pillow! Here is a little close up shot of those pretty seaglass colors and the wavy quilting. Hope you had a great summer!

Supplies:

Kona Cotton Solids from Robert Kaufman
http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/kona_cotton/

High Seas Blue from Seven Seas-Cloud 9 Organic Fabrics
http://cloud9fabrics.com/

Invisible Zipper from Zipit
http://www.etsy.com/shop/zipit?section_id=7929352

Thread
Batting

http://www.sizzix.com/product/657630/sizzix-bigz-l-clear-die-bottle-5-7-8-h-finished
Bottle Die