Snowman Quilted Pillow Cover

As the last piece of my Christmas sewing project for this year, I transformed a quilt panel into 3 throw pillow covers. I cut up the “Share The Joy Snowman” (from Moda) quilt panel, and split it into 5 parts in order to get 3 snowman panels and 2 strips of text banners. With them and additional matching fabrics, I sewed and trapunto quilted 3 throw pillow covers that has 3 different snowman prints on each. In order to make all 3 pillows a little different, I changed the side panels with quilt blocks: Christmas Tree and Pinwheel.

Oh my, I deeply fell in love with this quilting style and technique, not only that it gives the 3 dimension effect on the print, it makes the quilt so soft and nice to touch. My kids can never stop stroking their face and hands on the snowman, squeeze and cuddle them all the time. I bet if the weather can get any cooler, they will surely love to hug them to sleep… Kids, blankets are on the way… please be patient 🙂

Remember the Whale baby trapunto quilt blanket I sewed for my friend’s newborn son, where I mentioned that I have lost all the step by step tutorial photos and only can write the tutorial with some “done” photos to explain. If you landed here from that blanket post, you will be able to see some photos that could help you to understand better, especially the 3D trapunto quilting part. Click page 2 for details.

Christmas greeting from Craft Passion, together with the kids here to create a little hoax that spice up my already-challenging crafting world, and not forgetting Mr.CraftPassion that helps up the household core while free my time to craft and create………………
We wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS, let’s share the joy to the world!!!!
Wish you all have a wonderful time at this special holy season of the year with friends and families!

Snowman Pillow Cover

Pattern: Download here.
Remark: Seam allowance 3/8″, included in the pattern, otherwise, as stated in the tutorial.

Materials:
Make: 1
[multiply the materials, except the panel (item 1), with 3 to make 3 pillows.]
1. Share The Joy Snowman Panel – 1 pcs. 23″ x 44″.
2. Share The Joy Birds Winter Frost White – 3/4 yard.
3. Cotton backing (white) – 3/4 yard (44″ wide)
4. Batting – high loft polyester, 13″ x 17″
5. Batting – cotton, 3/4 yard
6. Twill tape for binding
7. Button, 2 pcs.
8. Pillow form – 18″ x 18″

Tools:
1. Sewing machine with appropriate presser foot
2. Erasable fabric marker
3. Ruler & Roller Cutter
4. Cutting mat
5. Scissors (sharp tip, best if have blunt point and curved blade)
6. Iron
7. Cover button maker (only needed if you want to use cover button)
8. Quilting safety pins
9. Quilting needle
10. Quilting thread, weight 50, white and dark brown or dark green

Pillow cover dimension: 19″ x 19″

Cut the panel as shown (click to see the larger picture, the picture will open in new window or new tab). Cut at the center between the borders.

Download the pattern, mark and cut fabrics according to the pattern.
This is the front fabrics of the pillow with one of the snowman panel and text banners cut out from the big panel.
Remark: The text banners on the panel are not enough to make 3 pillows with both top and bottom borders. Substitute one of the borders with other matching fabrics for the other 2 pillows.

Other fabric and batting pieces for the front backing and the back of the pillow. You need high loft polyester batting to make the trapunto, and, 2 cover buttons or other buttons of your choice(not in the photo).

Pillow Front

Sew the side panels to the main snowman panel, then sew the top and bottom text banners to it with a seam allowance of 3/8″
Press with a warm iron with seam allowance to the darker fabric.

Place the high loft polyester batting at the wrong side of the center panel. Pin with quilting safety pins to secure the batting in place.

Turn to the right side of the fabric, change the presser foot to darning foot or BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator), and lower down the feed dog. Perform free motion stitch around the snowman and the birds. Stitch just slightly outside the lines of the print. I used weight-50 white quilting cotton thread but you can use beige or cream, as long as it doesn’t create a contrast to the outline.
Tip: the 3D raise effect on the trapunto is not so obvious if the part is small, for instance, the bird might not seem as “bumpy” compare to the bigger part of the snowman.
Bring all thread-ends to the wrong side, tie double knots and trim away the extra length, leaving about 1-2″ there.

After finished all the parts that you want to have 3D trapunto raise effect, turn to the wrong side and trim out the extra batting that sits outside the free motion sewing line.
You have to do this very carefully and slowly if it is your first attempt. Watch out on every snip you are making so that you won’t accidentally cut the fabric.
You may fold the fabric down and away from the batting while cutting so you can see clearly before you trim.

This is how it looks like after the extra batting was trimmed away.

The right side of the trapunto. You will see the 3D effect better after you have quilted the surrounding, which will press the fabric down smoothly.

Layer in the batting and cotton backing to the snowman panel. Smooth out any wrinkles by stroking with your palm outward; from the center to raw edges of the snowman panel. Secure the layers with quilting safety pins.

Again, with the darning foot or BSR and the feed dog down, free-motion stitch along the same sewing lines of the borders of the trapunto.
Quilt the blue sky with small stippling stitch.
Stitch in the ditch between the center snowman panel and the bird side panels, and sew along the white borders of the top and bottom banners (you can change the foot to walking foot and raise back the dog feed). Then, follow by bigger stippling stitch with a darning foot and feed dog down again on the side panels.
Change the top thread to dark brown or dark green, quilt a row of small pebbles stitches on the border of the center snowman panel and the top and bottom of the banners.

A completed front pillow of a snowman with a 3D effect of the trapunto quilting.
Bring all thread-ends to the back, tie double knots. Hide the thread ends and knots into the batting by using the needle. Insert needle from the stitch endpoint and come out as far as you can, pull until the knot gets into the batting. Pull a little before trimming the end, the thread ends will hide inside the batting after the trim.
Trim the front piece to 20″ square with roller cutter and ruler.

This is the back of the front pillow.
Tip: Always perform a test quilt on a stash to check the tension of the thread, especially when you are using 2 contrast thread colors for top and bottom.
Another tip, always look-out for the thread ends when you quilt, don’t accidentally get the thread-end stitched at anywhere of the quilt. In order to see where your thread-end is, always bring it up to the top either after performing the first needle down and up or after a few stitches away. Always hold your thread ends to the back of the sewing machine during the first few stitches to ensure that your thread ends won’t tangle up at the bottom or being accidentally sewn.

Pillow Back

Change presser foot back to normal foot or walking foot. Sew the bird fabric with white backing, 1/2″ seam allowance on the bird fabric and 1″ seam allowance on the white backing.

Open flat and press the seam allowance to the bird fabric.

Place the batting on the bird fabric, align the edge to the raw edge of the white fabric.

Fold the white fabric over at the batting edge. Press to make a fold crease line.

Topstitch at the edge and the seam line between the bird and white fabric.

Change foot to darning or BSR with feed dog down, free motion quilt with stippling stitch.

Trim the back pieces to 20″ wide x 10 1/2″ high each.

Sew 2 buttonholes at one of the back piece, approx 7″ in between.

Sewing up the Pillow

Place the front piece with right side facing up. Place the back piece (with buttonholes) facing down at the top part of the pillow. Then, place another back piece at the bottom part.
The back pieces overlap 1″ at the center.
Sew around with 1/2″ seam allowance.

Bind the raw edges with twill tape or as per your preference.

Turn right side out by folding seam allowance at the corner in right angle then push the corner out to get a nice and neat right-angle corner. Perform this to all the 4 corners.
Insert the pillow form into the cover, faster the button.
Complete.