DIY Geometric Pillow

Zest up your décor with a unique combination of geometry and bold color. While simple to sew, this pillow is sure to make a striking impression. By combining striped fabric with easy on-the-bias piecing and straight line quilting you’ll create a new favorite accent piece for your home.

DIY Geometric Pillow

Supplies

supplies

step one) Piece the pillow front.

Press and starch your striped fabric. You will be cutting it on the bias, and this will help prevent stretching.

Cut four 11” squares from the striped fabric, using a gridded ruler to center a stripe along the diagonal of each square.

cut squares

square

Lay out the four striped squares, creating an “X” pattern.

create X

Sew the four squares together using a ¼ʺ- wide seam allowance, taking care to match the seamlines. Press seam allowances open.

quarter-inch seam

pieced pillow front

step 2) Quilt the pillow front and back.

Cut one 25” square of white fabric and one 24” square of batting.

Layer the white square (face down), batting, and piece pillow front (face up).

quilt sandwich

Baste the layers together with safety pins or 505 fabric adhesive spray.

Attach the walking foot to your sewing machine.

Quilt the pillow top using straight lines following the “X” pattern.

quilting lines

Trim away the excess batting and backing fabric, making a 21½ʺ square pillow front.

Cut two 21½ʺ squares of the matching solid fabric and one 21½ʺ square of batting for the pillow back.

Sandwich the batting between the solid fabric squares, baste the layers together, and quilt them using the walking foot.

quilted pillow back

step 3) Construct the pillow.

Next you’ll need the pillow back and top, the invisible zipper, and the invisible zipper foot.

insert zipper

invisible zipper foot

Unzip the invisible zipper. Pin one zipper tape right sides together with one edge of the pillow top; note that the zipper tape will extend past the end of the pillow top.

stitch zipper tape

invisible zipper insertion

Attach the invisible zipper foot to your sewing machine.

Align the teeth on the zipper tape with the left groove in the sole of the foot; stitch along the side of the zipper. Backstitch when you reach the zipper pull at the bottom of the zipper.

invisible zipper insertion

Pin the pillow back to the other side of the invisible zipper, right sides together. Again, the zipper tape will extend past the end of the pillow back.

second half of invisible zipper

Align the teeth on the zipper tape with the left groove in the sole of the foot; stitch along the side of the zipper. Backstitch when you reach the zipper pull at the bottom of the zipper.

Open the zipper halfway. Place the pillow front and back right sides together; pin.

Using the walking foot, sew around the remaining three edges of the pillow using a ⅜ʺ wide seam allowance and backstitching at the end.

sew outside edges

Trim the corners.

Turn the pillow cover right side out through the zipper opening.

Close the invisible zipper.

invisible zipper

DIY Geometric Pillow

 

 

Print this page

What you might also like

4 comments on “DIY Geometric Pillow”

  • I struggled with the invisible zipper. I used Bernina invisible zipper foot 35. I did NOT press in a seam but butted the zipper coil right up at the raw edge of the pillow. The hardest part to deal with — for me — was sewing the end, where the pull tab is. I wondered if I should have pulled the zipper up a bit but with the needle down and the presser foot up it wasn’t possible. Any suggestions?

    • Hello, @porter1938! You are right on track — I like to use the needle down position and raise the foot just enough to pull the zipper pull to the other edge. You should have enough room to just sneak it by. If this doesn’t work, you may have to raise your needle too, advance the zipper pull and finish your seam (back stitching where you ended off). Let me know if you have any other questions!

      • Thanx,Megan. I’m making a second big geo pillow — same instructions but struggling less with invisible zipper. I’m also making a small-of-the-back pillow with the yellow stripe scraps and calling it my “waste not/want/not” pillow case.

Leave a Reply