Make a Pieced Pillow Cover for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is a time to honor the women who care about and have cared for us, regardless of our biological connections. I lost my mom last year, just a couple of days after Mother’s Day. But an elderly neighbor has quickly become my “bonus mom.” JoAnn checks in on me as often as I check in on her—and she always asks about my three grown children, whom she has watched grow for the 28(!) years we’ve lived across the street from one another.

JoAnn celebrating her 90th birthday with a surprise party from Lavon!

My own mom taught me to sew when I was about 12 years old. My first project was pretty ambitious: a pair of shorts with pleats, a zipper and button closure, and cuffed legs! I’ve sewn exactly one other piece of clothing since then, a dress that fit fine if I stood stock-still; otherwise, the bodice was too tight for any functional movements. I eventually discovered quilting, and that’s where my sewing skills settled in. I love the nutty practice of cutting up perfectly good fabric and sewing it to other fabric!

This year, I decided to sew a pieced pillow cover as a Mother’s Day gift for my neighbor JoAnn. I created an easy tulip flower pattern that mainly uses square blocks and half-square triangles. I hope you enjoy creating your own pieced pillow cover (or quilted wall hanging, if you prefer) for your own mother or “bonus mom.”

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Materials

• Quilting cotton scraps, cut to the following sizes:
  • 3 white squares, 3" × 3" (7.6 × 7.6 cm)
  • 3 purple squares, 3" × 3" (7.6 × 7.6 cm)
  • 18 white squares, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm)
  • 10 purple squares, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm)
  • 2 white rectangles, 1½" × 2½" (3.8 × 6.4 cm)
  • 1 green square, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm)
  • 2 purple strips, 1½" × 13" (6.4 × 33.0 cm)
  • 2 purple strips, 1½" × 15" (6.4 × 38.1 cm)
• Neutral color cotton fabric for back: 2 pieces, 14½" × 11" (36.8 × 27.9 cm)
• Neutral color sewing thread
• 15" × 15" (38.1 × 38.1 cm) pillow form
• Tools: cutting mat, quilting ruler, and rotary cutter; pencil; sewing machine; iron and ironing board; straight pins; scissors

Finished size: 14" × 14" (35.6 × 35.6 cm). [PAYWALL]

Instructions

Use the 3" × 3" (7.6 × 7.6 cm) white squares and the 3" × 3" (7.6 × 7.6 cm) purple squares to create 6 white/purple half-square triangles (HSTs). Place the purple squares right sides up and place the white squares on top of them, right sides down. Use a pencil and a ruler to draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each white square. Sew ¼" seams on both sides of the lines. Using a quilting ruler and a rotary cutter, cut along the drawn lines. Press each HST open. Trim each square to 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm).

Half-square triangles sewn and ready to cut apart.

Lay out the 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm) white squares, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm) white/purple HSTs, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm) purple squares, ½" × 2½" (3.8 × 6.4 cm) white rectangles, and 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm) green square according to the chart. Using ¼" (0.6 cm) seams, sew the pieces together into 6 rows. Press seams to one side. Sew the rows to each other. Press the seams to one side.

Press the pieced top and trim to 12½" × 12½" (31.8 × 31.8 cm). Using ¼" (0.6 cm) seams, sew a purple 1½" × 13" (3.8 × 33.0 cm) strip to each side edge of the pieced block. Press the seams toward the purple fabric. Use a quilting ruler and a rotary cutter to trim the purple ends at the top and bottom. Using ¼" (0.6 cm) seams, sew purple 1½" × 15" (3.8 × 38.1 cm) strips to the top and bottom edges of the pieced block. Press the seams toward the purple fabric. Use a quilting ruler and a rotary cutter to trim the ends of the purple strips. Trim the block to 14½" × 14½" (36.8 × 36.8 cm). Set the block aside.

Squares laid out and ready for seaming.

With a 14½" × 11" (36.8 × 27.9 cm) piece of back fabric, fold one 14½" (36.8 cm) edge over ¼" (0.6 cm) twice to the wrong side. Press. Sew along the folded edge to create a hemmed edge. Repeat with the second piece of back fabric.

Place the pieced top right side up. Place a hemmed piece of back fabric right side down on the pieced top, aligning the raw edges of the back fabric piece with the upper edge and sides of the pieced top. Place the second piece of back fabric right side down on the stack, aligning the raw edges with the lower edge and sides of the pieced top. The hemmed edges of the back pieces overlap to create a flap opening. Pin along all sides.

Using a ¼" (0.6cm) seam, sew around all four sides, curving the corners. Use scissors to trim the tips off each corner.

Turn the pillow cover right side out. Insert the pillow form.