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Flower Shop Fractal Pillow

This foundation of this fun, leafy pillow is my Fractal block which is available on Craftsy. Click the image to the left to take you directly to my Craftsy shop so you can find it easier.

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Or, you can simply use a solid square of fabric and mark carefully a center ring area where you want your leaves to go as there will be no quilting or piecing lines to guide you.

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Basically, I replaced all the colored fabrics in the "ring" with a cream solid, and made the background a while solid for a subtle effect, so the leaves would really stand out. Then, since the Fractal block is only a 16" block, I added a 2" white border on each side to bring it up to 20". I like my pillows to be full, so I make my pillow dimensions the same as my desired pillow insert size. In this case, 20". By the time I sew the back side of the pillow on, the pillow case is actually smaller than 20", but I find it plumps up nicely once the pillow form is inserted.

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Each leaf is made from two pieces of fabric sewn together and turned inside out. You can use as many or as few leaves as you like, but for my sample, I used xx pairs of fabric. You will only really see the top fabric, so feel free to substitute a less expensive solid for the back of each leaf if desired. 

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You can download the leaf pattern I used here. Otherwise, feel free to freehand your own custom shape or size leaf pattern.

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Take each pair of fabric leaves and with right sides together, pin and sew a scant 1/4" seam allowance all the way around. Yes, that's right, ALL the way around. Feels just wrong, doesn't it?? But, trust me, it will all work out just fine. Clip fabric at both tips and trim seam allowance down to 1/8". 

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Now carefully cut a 1.5" slit in the back side of each leaf. This is where you're going to pull the fabric through to turn the leaf right side out. Where you cut your slit depends on how you plan to sew your leaves down to the pillow top. If you plan to sew them down around the outer edge of each leaf so they're completely flat against the pillow front, the location of the slit really doesn't matter.

 

BUT if you want your leaves to be more raised, you'll want to only sew them down along the center vein, like on my sample, so the edges are free to stick up and be more dimensional. If this is the case, make sure to cut the slit on the bottom end of the leaf as you want to make sure it will be fully enclosed within your center vein stitching. You don't want any raw edges exposed. Which end you choose to cut the slit in is especially important if you are using directional fabric.

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Play with the placement of your leaves before you start sewing them down. Once you've arranged them to your liking, pin them down and sew them on, either by machine or by hand. 

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Finish by sewing the back side on via your preferred method, whether it be envelope back or zipper enclosure, and then enjoy your new pillow!!

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