• Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Bring those warm, paintbrush autumn colors right into your home with a variety of fabric scraps!

Design by Mary Ayres

Project Specifications

Skill Level: Beginner
Pillow Size: 14" x 14"

Materials

• 4 different homespun squares 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" for backgrounds
• 14 1/2" x 14 1/2" pillow backing
• Gold, orange and green homespun scraps for leaves
• 1/8 yard tan checked fabric for borders
• 14" pillow form
• Black 6-strand embroidery floss and colors to match leaves
• Embroidery needle
• Water-soluble marker
• 1 3/4 yards jumbo black rickrack
• Scraps of fusible transfer web
• 9 (1/2") off-white recycled buttons
• Basic sewing supplies and tools

Instructions

Step 1. Sew 6 1/2" homespun squares together in pairs and then join pairs as shown in Fig. 1.

Step 2. From tan checked fabric cut two strips each 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" and 1 1/2" x 14 1/2". Sew the shorter strips to two opposite sides of the assembled homespun squares. Sew longer strips to top and bottom.

Step 3. Trace leaf appliques on paper side of fusible transfer web as directed on patterns. Cut out leaving roughly 1/4" margin around traced lines. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse shapes to selected fabrics; fuse. Cut out on traced lines.

Step 4. Referring to photo for placement, fuse each leaf to one homespun background square.

Step 5. With 3 strands of matching embroidery floss, work buttonhole stitch around each leaf. Transfer stems and veins to leaves. Embroider stems and veins with 3 strands of black embroidery floss, using stem stitch.

Step 6. Sew one off-white button to each corner of each homespun background square with black embroidery floss. Stitch with parallel stitches rather than X’s, and make stitches of all buttons run the same direction.

Step 7. Sew jumbo black rickrack around perimeter of pillow on the right side 1/4" from edge. Start and finish at one corner. Sew through center of rickrack.

Step 8. Right sides together, sew pillow top to pillow backing along previous rickrack stitches. Leave an 11" opening at bottom. Turn right side out. Insert pillow form and close opening with hand stitches.

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