I'm not bragging

 BUT, I have one room spring cleaned.  I got up one Wednesday morning and decided the inside of the windows needed a ruddy good cleaning and the screens could go back on.  That gave me a day to play in the sewing room....after running down to the village to pick up a few things.

This is the "freebie" I promised you, on how to make the easiest pillows.

Select the fabric that is all one piece from selvedge to selvedge.  Cut the piece of fabric 18" wide and trim the selvedges off.

You will be sandwiching the pieces whether you long-arm the piece or do it on your sewing machine.  You have your backing, your batting and the top.

I used a pantograph called "Daisy Bounce" and a variegated black thread.  

Once you have your "pillow" finished, you will have to trim it.  If you wish to do something "fancy" you do it now.  This pillow has prairie points in a co-ordinating print and a black solid to finish it off.  I did the binding by machine and on the back by hand.  If it was for a child, I would do the binding by machine.

When you have the bindings finished, take the entire piece to your cutting mat.  Fold the piece in half and place that half-way fold on the 9" mark on your board.  If you want the front piece to be a little more to the left or right adjust the fold over 2" one way or the other.

Now the part you have to remember.  Open up the fabric.  **The first fold over will be the front of the pillow.**  In this case it was my prairie points I wanted on the "outside".  

At the zero mark on your board, bring the fold of the pillow up and over what will be the back of the pillow.  Then pull up the other side and from the 18" mark.

You can either pin or clip the two open ends.  I use my red Clover clips, as there are a few spots that are pretty thick.

I sew a straight stitch and then overcast the edge.  

Turn your piece right side out and your pillow is ready for your pillow form.  I always make my pillows 18" x 18" and they finish up about 17.5" x 17.5".  Use the 18" form because it will fit beautifully.

Good luck.  This is my way to do the pillows.  I'm not going back to zippers and all the cutting.  

I am trying to adapt these to pocket pillows for children -- BUT -- it will not work out well with a directional fabric.  I think a pocket with a stuffie and a story that you have purchased.  I try to find a book that goes with the stuffie.  Another idea, if you a pet in your house, perhaps your child could read a book to the dog or the cat.  It helps them and the pets get attention.  

A PDF of these instructions is available here.  Look for Easy to Make Pillows

I added another page to the blog.  It's at the top of the page and called "Little Bit"s.  Every month it will change --n hopefully on the 15th.  It could be about farmers, it could be about plants, it could be about cats or whatever turns my fancy.  It just "stuff" that doesn't fit into a blog post but you might --- just might -- find it interesting.