Out to Sea DIY Blog Tour/ Tutorial~ Anchor Pillow

I shared the tutorial of the Narwhal pillow a couple weeks ago, and today, I am sharing the tutorial for the Anchor pillow.

I love the combination of gray and orange, it is so fresh and fun. When I was trying to finalize the design of the pillow, I really wanted to embellish it with something to emphasize the "ocean" theme. I found the shell buttons and the rope that are the exact same color as the gray fabric at Joann's. You don't know how excited I was! To start the project here are the supplies you will need:

Two fabrics for the front
One fabric for the back 15 1/2" x 23 1/2"
Thin quilt batting 15 1/2" x 23 1/2"
8 1/2" x 11" White fabric for the Anchor
8 1/2" x 11" Heat & Bond
Matching thread
DMC floss 347

Gray rope, 6 -- 3/8" shell button (optional)
16" x 24" pillow form or Poly fiber for stuffing

{How to}

1. NOTE: The pillow form I used is 16" X 24". I wanted the pillow to look "full" instead of kind of fluffy, so I cut the fabric slightly smaller. If you like the fluffy look, you can add 1/2" to the measurements.

Cut fabrics.
From gray anchor fabric, cut 1 -- 14 1/4" X 15 1/2"
From White & orange strip, cut 1 -- 9" x 15" 1/2"
Put one of the 15 1/2" edges of both fabrics together on the right side of the fabric and sew them. Lay the seam towards the strip fabric and press with an iron. Set it aside.

2. Make the anchor applique ready. First, download the anchor pattern. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer and fuse the Heat & Bond on the back of the white fabric. Trace the pattern on the white fabric+Heat and bond. Use light box if available, if not taping the pattern and fabric to the window makes this process easier.

3. Cut out the anchor and decide where you want it on the gray fabric. I recommend to place the Anchor slightly off to the right side, because once the pillow form is in, the side of the pillow will puff up and the anchor will look closer to the left rather than the center. Once you have decided the place, peel off the paper from the back of the applique piece, lay it flat on the fabric, and press with an iron.

4. Zigzag around it...

5. Stich 1/4" out around the anchor with 6 strands of DMC floss. Then, top stitch 1/8" from the seam on the strip fabric, and sew 3/4" from the first stitch. Sew the buttons between these stitches.

6. Put the front and the back fabric of the pillow right sides together. Leaving the 5" opening in the bottom, sew around it. Snip the corners for a clean finish, turn the fabric inside out. Press with an iron.

7. Insert the pillow form or stuff it with poly fiber, close the opening using slip stitch. Tie the rope on the pillow, if you know some fancy way to tie it, go for it! :)

I had so much fun working with these fabrics! In fact, because of that I had several project ideas pop in my head that I want to try. Mmmm... My experience with Sarah's new fabric line was fantastic. Remember, there are many others sharing awesome projects at the DIY blog tour. Go check out other fabrics from her new line and set sail for a sewing adventure!