A Modern Mini in a Pillow

4th Grader's Nine Patch Block - May 2013

So, I have been wanting to do something with this block that one of the 4th graders designed. If you remember I talked about the quilting thing that the 4th graders did here. I was so glad that they did that this year (they didn't last year).

I hadn't found the perfect thing to do with this yet. I had only really done foundation piecing on two separate blocks for the Craftsy Block of the Month last year and I thought it was the way to go with this one. Well, I thought that it would be pretty simple right? I had no idea That it would test my abilities this much! :) But that is a good thing, I am still learning!

I was really excited with the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge beginning this year over at Ellison Lane Quilts! I followed along with it last year though did not participate. This year I wanted to, and that was the perfect opportunity to jump in with this design! So excited!

 

I was thinking just a simple quilt, nothing fancy. But then as I was doing each 6.5" square I was thinking this was too simple. I had done a foundation piecing before, I needed to do something different. Something I had never done before. After all, isn't that the point of the challenge?  As I read through the details of the challenge (for the 100th time, couldn't do it enough) I thought, pillow! I have never made a pillow before! Little did I know that sewing all those blocks together with represent a challenge enough! LOL, but so would the pillow!

 

And so starts this item's existence into being...
I wanted to keep the similar colors. So I dove into the box of solids that I had acquired from a friend of mine. I had been waiting for the perfect project and I think this one was it!

 

I figured that 6.5" unfinished for each block would make it a pretty good size, 18" finished... I drew lines about 1" from the center on each side. The wide strips were 2.5" (I did not use a scant 1/4" seam) and the skinny ones were 1.5" (I did use a scant 1/4" seam). It worked out perfectly! I feel fairly lucky!

 

I found piecing the squares and lining up the strips was a bit more of a challenge than I had originally anticipated, but it worked out fairly nicely. I did not use a scant 1/4" seam when sewing the squares together either. Usually I do, for everything but for some reason I did not on this project, only for the skinny strips!

I wanted bind it just in case I was not happy with the idea of making a pillow. I was pretty satisfied with this product, but felt I still needed to take that extra step and turn it into a pillow... I had never done a pillow before! I needed to!

I decided to go with an envelope back to this pillow because I don't have zippers and I do not like working with zippers...
 

 

 

One problem that I do have is that the pillow form is not big enough. I am borrowing the form from another pillow I have had for a long time, just as a temporary thing. But, I love how this pillow turned out! :)

 

 

 

 

Yay for pillows. Those that have entered the Challenge with Ellison Lane I wish you the best of luck and I cannot wait to see all the different minis!

 

Happy Sewing!