These pillows are fast and easy to piece together, and the unique Sashiko stitch will make a dramatic statement in any room of the house. Mix up the fabrics to coordinate with your decor or liven up your house for the holidays! The possibilities are endless once you have the pattern down!

Materials:

• 1/8 yard of five coordinating cotton fabrics, 45” wide
• 1 yard of 45” wide black cotton fabric
• 5/8 yard of backing fabric (this will be inside the pillow, so it can be scraps from another project)
• Quilt batting
• 1 spool all-purpose thread for piecing
• 1 spool of contrast thread for quilting
• 1 spool monofilament thread
• White marking pencil
• Rotary cutting system
• 2 pillow forms, 20” x 20”

Tools:

• Baby Lock Sashiko Machine
• Baby Lock Sewing Machine

Steps:

1. The supplies and directions will make two 20” pillows..Cut the following:

   1. One strip from each of the five coordinating cotton fabrics, 2½” x WOF

   2. One strip from the black cotton fabric, 10 ½” x WOF

   3. Cut this black strip into four 10½” x 10½” squares

   4. Cut each of the four black squares once across the diagonal.

2. Piece each of the five coordinating 2½” strips together into a strip set, pressing the seams.

3. Cut the strip set into four 10½” x 10½” squares. Cut each of the four squares once across the diagonal.

   1. Divide the half squares into two matching piles. Four matching half squares for each pillow top.

4. Sew one black half square triangle to each of the pieced half square triangles, right sides facing.

   1. Press the seam to the black triangle.

   2. You'll create eight blocks total, four with the pieced half square triangles on the left and four with the pieced half square triangles on the right.

5. Lay four of the blocks out with the strip set triangles meeting in the middle.

6. Stitch two blocks together and press the seams toward the single strip. Match all of the blocks in the same manner and press.

7. Stitch a two block row to another two block row. Press.

8. Layer the pillow tops with the quilt batting and backing. Baste the layers together.

9. Thread the sewing machine with monofilament thread. Stitch-in-the-ditch around all of the strips in the pillow’s top.

10. Thread the Sashiko machine with contrasting quilting thread.

11. Mark stitching lines on the black cotton using the white marking pencil. Measure and mark a line every ½” across the diagonal out to the corner of the pillow top on all four corners.

12. Stitch along the marked lines with the Sashiko sewing machine.

13. Cut out the pillow backs. Pin the pillow back to the pillow top, right sides facing.

14. Stitch around the pillow tops, making sure to leave openings to insert the pillow forms.

15. Turn the pillows right side out and insert the pillow forms. Stitch the openings closed.