Fabric Scrap Rainbow Pillow
I have so many little pieces of fabric. It is hard to call them scraps really because they are all worthy of saving to be used. Most of them came from prior projects but sometimes I have been known to buy little pieces just because. I buy them just because I MIGHT need them sometime. Today that sometime came. I loved using the little pieces in all of the colors of the rainbow to make this awesome rainbow pillow for my bench in my front yard. I don’t think it will last there for very long though because both of my girls want it in their rooms!
Materials Needed
You will need the following supplies to make a fabric scrap rainbow pillow.
- Fabric Scraps in All the Colors
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine
- White Thread and Bobbins
- Straight Pins
- Cutting Mat
- Rotary Blade Cutter
- Pillow Form or Stuffing
My Favorite Sewing Supply List
These are the sewing supplies that I keep on hand at all times. They get used over and over again and again in so many of my projects.
- Sewing Machine – This one has FIFTY built in stitches!
- Thread
- Ready Made Bobbins – I am not a fan of making my own bobbins so I LOVE these.
- Fabric Scissors – These are great because they cut through multiple layers of fabric.
- Pin Cushion and Pins – The cuter the better. I love this hedgehog.
- Poly-FIl Stuffing for Pillows
- Poly-Pellets for Bean Bags and Weighted Projects – The POUR bag makes all the difference.
- Rotary Cutter and Mat
Directions for Fabric Scrap Rainbow Pillow
The size of your pillow form will determine how much fabric you will need to piece together. The pillow form that I used measures 12 inches by 42 inches so I made each of my quilted together color pieces 14 inches tall to leave room for the seams. The color pieces can be different widths once sewn together but the total of them sewn together needs to be two inches longer than the width of the pillow form to allow for the seam. The great thing about this project is that you can play with it as you go because it is piecing together scraps and supposed to look a little messy and fun.
For each color, cut scraps into rectangular pieces and quilt them together into one large block. I added little pieces of the colored fabric on top to look like little patches and give it some pizzazz.
For the orange block, I didn’t have much of a fabric stash. I added a flower die-cut using my die that I designed for Sizzix. I kind of love the way it came out in and looked in the final pillow.
Once all of the color blocks are ready, use your rotary cutter (on a giant cutting mat) to make the sides perfectly straight. This step will help your pillow look pretty.
Next, sew them together in the order of the colors of the rainbow. The back will look a little like this.
For the back side of your pillow, you can either do another large block like the front or use one big piece of fabric. I used a pink because I love it the best. Pin the front to the back with the sides that will show in the end facing each other.
Lastly, leave an end open to insert the form. You can either finish the front and back sides on this end if you plan to leave it open or hand stitch it closed once the pillow is inserted. Ta Da!
This would be darling to pair up with the hand stitched unicorn pillow I shared in June. Here is a link to that post in case you want to make both pillows!
Cheers to Sewing Fabulous Pillows and to Nancy’s Notions for Sponsoring this Post!
Laura
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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Hi Laura, your Teakwood bench is gorgeous and the perfect back drop to your lovely pillow. Thank you for sharing your project. As Russ suggested use water repellant on the fabric and I would make a plastic case for the stuffing just in case. You do not need to sew the plastic you can use a good out door tape to seal it up. Your local fabric store should have different mm of plastic, OR buy a drop cloth of thicker plastic to use. You do not want the filling to get wet and mold and spoil the pillow from the inside :)
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Great ideas! I love the pillow inserts from Fairfield World that are made for outdoors too.
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Yes, a 'rainbow project' that has the ROYGBIV colors!
It seems that lately there have been many other projects for which the final outcome is hardly recognizable as a rainbow due to the odd color choices.
'Just my opinion, but in this case I think traditional colors are best, as they are genuinely uplifting!
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I agree. YAY ROYGBIV!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
this is really bright and colorful -- what about when it rains???
when i bought new cushions for my patio furniture -- the store employee recommended treating them with spray water repellant ( used on canvas shoes, back packs, tents, etc) - you can find it in the shoe accessories area of many stores.
watch it rain down on my cushions one day and just watched the water bead up!!