With all that’s going on in the world right now, I must admit that I found it very difficult to focus and force myself to finish this Twister Pillows sofa back pillows re-cover project. That said, I am so very glad I did.
Pushing through the daily madness and finding my rhythm in sewing and quilting the new pillow covers was actually quite healing. I guess because I was doing something that I “COULD DO” instead of worrying and being caught up in the insanity. And at the end of the day, I had something to show for it.
Quick recap. Here’s the BEFORE sofa look:
Here is the AFTER:
As mentioned previously, I needed to make my pillow covers larger than the pattern so I simply enlarged the borders. I also decided to apply a scrappy binding instead of the prescribed “turning” method which would have been OK, but I love the look of the scrappy binding.
The Twister Pillows pattern offered directions for two methods of closure on the back: Envelope Style and Zipper Closure. I opted for the zipper closure and I really like the professional feel and finish. Here are a few shots of that:
Twister Pillow Back Side – Zipper Closure FinishTwister Pillow Back Side Zipper DetailZipper Detail Close-Up
There you have it!
I loved the process of making my Twister Pillows! In fact, after I finish a couple other small projects, I would really like to design and make a coordinating Twister Table Runner to put on our coffee table that sits in front of the sofa.
What do you think?
Do the new pillow covers improve the look of our living room?
Have you ever made Twister Pillows or any projects using the Lil Twister Tool?
I’d love to hear your constructive comments and sharing below!
Quilting on my domestic sewing machine using standard only the standard foot. No freemotion quilting. No walking foot.
Using my domestic sewing machine (it’s an older Juki TL98E straight stitch only machine) and it’s regular foot, I quilted my Twister Pillows with an orange slice design in each blade of the pinwheel.
Why did I choose to use my regular foot instead of freemotion quilting or walking foot?
Because I could and I wanted to see how they would turn out.
Be sure to scroll all the way down to view all pictures as the 4th pic shows the quilting from the back side. Surprisingly, it turned out pretty great. At least I think think it is and since it’s my quilt (pillows), my opinion is the only one that matters on this project!
ALSO…while I was doing quilting, I started thinking all this might be good to share publicly. Especially for new quilters, very young quilters or those who can’t afford or don’t want to spend big bucks on fancy machines or even purchasing a walking foot or an old machine.You see, I remember having absolutely NO budget for these things when I first started machine quilting and had little babies at home. That didn’t mean I couldn’t make nice things. It just meant I needed to be a little more aware and take my time if I wanted things to turn out right. For example, I needed to have the quilt sandwich basted really well (another blog article will be coming shortly on that). I decreased the pressure of my presser foot so there was less drag. I realize not all machines offer that option and you can still do this even if your machine doesn’t have that feature, but if yours does you may want to play with that a bit.
Pillow #4 quilted!
This design was very easy to stitch continuously. By that I mean I had no need to stop, cut threads and tie off anywhere unless a thread broke or the bobbin ran out. Simple stop/pivots were the only slowdowns.
Sew…how did I actually DO it? By the numbers, of course.
Quilting By The Numbers!
Using the picture above, imagine sewing toward the next ascending number, as follows: #1. Start at center of the pillow’s center most pinwheel secure a few stitches. From there stitch a gentle arc up the long edge of one blade of the pinwheel. #2. Stop. Needle down, lift presser foot, turn quilt, lower presser foot, stitch a deeper arc returning back to the center stopping at #3. Needle down. Lift presser foot, turn quilt, lower presser foot, stitch a gentle arc to #4. Stop. Needle down, lift presser foot, turn quilt, lower presser foot, stitch a deeper arc returning back to the center at #5. Repeat this on the remaining two blades of the pinwheel (i.e., follow the quilting lines to #6, #7, #8 and return to very center for the last time #9).
Once each blade of the pinwheel has been stitched, put needle down in the very center again. Lift presser foot, turn quilt to aim for the next pinwheel block and #10 carefully stitch in the ditch to the center of the next pinwheel. If you do this correctly, you will be able to travel to the next pinwheel without needing to remove the quilt from your machine.
After I finished quilting each of the pinwheels, I simply did a wonky echo spiraling around the outside of the pinwheel design until the entire quilt was quilted (relatively) evenly.
Are you wondering how the back turned out?
The back side of quilted Twister Pillow #4
I was pleasantly shocked at how nice the back of the quilt top looks! In the end it doesn’t matter at all for this project because this is a pillow top and this back will be inside of the pillow and completely unseen.
You know, I never seem to be able to follow a pattern’s instructions 100%. I always end up having to add my own twist. This project is no exception when it came to finishing. I chose the zippered pillow back option. The pattern instructions are well written and the results are really professional looking. So I did follow the instructions on that part, but I decided to take it a step further this time. Instead of turning, I decided to apply a scrappy binding. I pieced random fabrics from the top to make the binding. Yes, it took more time. But I just LOVE the results!
Any why not?! It is MY quilt (my quilted Twister Pillow), after all!
What do you think? Have you ever quilted using just your regular foot? How did it turn out? I genuinely welcome all related, constructive thoughts, ideas and comments below.
Sew…this is the prototype for my new downloadable sewing pattern design (coming VERY SOON to SewThankful.com).
Sew Sharky! is a shark hot pad with a pocket mouth for your hand to wear him like a mitt. He will look awesome sitting on your table, waiting for a hot pot of food to rest upon him…or, hanging on the wall of your kitchen.
Sew Sharky is a Sew TracyLee original design!
I’ve got just a couple minor tweaks to make (mostly in the instruction/editing process), but I like him quite a lot. What do you think?
A dear friend from Jr. High School was my inspiration. She loves sharks. LOL. This one will be a great one for any shark/ocean lover in your life.
This is not a new project. I wrote it way back in 2008 and I’ve shared it with eNews subscribers over the years.
However, it makes sense to share it here and now with all our blog readers.
This pattern/project was developed in response to the change in packaging for pocket tissues. As far back as I remember, pocket tissues packaging had a slit in the top, center of the package so you could pull your tissue out one at a time. Somewhere around 2008 (may be different for other regions), the design of that packaging changed so the opening was placed on the long SKINNY side.
These covers hold your tissues inside and allow you to access the tissue from the long skinny edge.
This pattern/project is being provided for FREE. Use of this project is at will of the user. User assumes all risk. Tracy L. Chapman & Sew Thankful Inc. shall have no liability with respect to loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this project.
Are you looking for an outstanding pattern to make placemats that FEEL professionally made? This is the one you want! Make placemats come out the perfect weight and thickness. They’re not too puffy and not too wimpy.
EZPZ Fast and Fab Reversible Placemats sewing pattern includes instructions to make 3 styles of reversible placemats (mix or match as you desire). Finished size is approximately 14.5″ x 18.5″.
Placemat Panel Styles include: Plain Jane, Accentual Anna, Strippy Sam
AWESOME Pattern/Design Features:
• FAST—No pattern pieces to trace or cut; use your rotary cutter, ruler and mat to cut your fabrics FAST! Plus, NO BINDING on this project!
• EASY to make—Step-by-step instructions guide you all the way through the construction process. Lots of pictures plus Tracy’s tips and hints help you achieve a professional result.
• REVERSIBLE—Enjoy twice the style in each placemat. Mix and match front and back panel styles.
• FABULOUS—Not too puffy, not too wimpy. These placemats lay smooth and flat with a classic sense of style and grace. Feel the quality of your work… fabulous.
This is a downloadable pattern so you receive it right after you check out of the shopping cart! YOU SAVE TIME and YOU SAVE MONEY on shipping!
Like to make great gifts for not a lot of money? You probably have everything you need right now.
Unlimited Options! Use this pattern as a teaching tool or use it as a canvas for your own creative style. Practice new techniques and have a useful item to show off when you’re finished.
Want to turn some of your fabric stash into cash? YES—you have permission to SELL finished items using this pattern, no annual limits. NOTE: Our permission applies only to the use of the pattern, not to any fabric company/designer fabric licensing restrictions, where required. For any applicable fabric licensing permissions, you will need contact the specific fabric manufacturer.
