Snap Attach Pillow Back Tutorial

  "Snap Attach Pillow Back" 

This is tutorial of how I make my envelope backs for my pillow covers

 with decorative snap closures. 

This is also Part 4 in the
Bone Broth For the Little One Block Tutorials 

This post shows how to make an envelope pillow Back with a decorative snap closure. 

I like to think of this as a two-side pillow.

When these are in use on my sofa and chairs,

I turn them frequently so they wear evenly.

In my house this pillow covered a Christmas applique toss pillow for its photos.

Then I gifted this pillow to The Girl in

My Girl bought a new 18" pillow form as she did not have an extra pillow that size.

I like to make covers for my toss pillows and change them as the seasons change

so I do not have to store them in a closet.

It also saves buying pillow forms.

Here is the tool kit you will need if you want to add snaps to your envelope back pillows.

This is a

Plastic Snap Pliers Kit from Dritz

I have had mine for several years
and it is a Babyville Boutique version bought to make things
for my grand darling when she was a baby.
I have found it has many other uses.
Only the packaging is different. 

Other tools you will need is a ruler for measuring for snap placement
and a marking tool.

I like to use a Clover Chaco Liner
available at FQS and anywhere sewing notions are sold.
You can use a Frixon pen or your favorite temporary fabric marking tool.

Pellon Fusible Fleece
or some other low loft fusible lining
to give your pillow panels body and a smooth finish.

  I chose two fabrics for my back to match my pillow front 
and cut the large side to 18.5" by 16.5"
and the smaller side to 18.5" by 8.5"

These are cut large to fold the cut end and form an "envelope"
in which to insert your pillow form.

Then I cut two pieces of the fusible fleece
to press to the back of these fabrics,
I cut the fleece smaller;
18.5" by 13.5" and 18.5" by 5.5"
so you can fold over the cut end and secure. 

I aligned and pressed he fleece to the back of my two back sections with a hot dry iron
and folded the cut edge over and pressed.
The fold is not fused.

I chose a dark grey Aurifil thread for quilting my green back piece.

I stitched the folded flap to secure.

Then I turned my back piece over and quilted straight lines
and block quilting with my walking foot.

Here is my completed small back panel.

I chose light green Superior King Tut thread to quilt the gray panel.
This was the best color match that I had in my sewing supplies.
I use King Tut 100% Cotton from Superior Threads when I quilt on my long arm
I use this and Aurifil when I quilt on my regular machine.

Here is the straight line walking foot quilting on the larger back panel.

Time to add the snaps.

These are the two colors I had on hand that might work.

I buy most of these plastic snaps in bulk in bags of different colors on Amazon.

My quilty kitty Maestro loves to help with this part of the process.
I have to be careful she does not try to eat the plastioc snaps or hurt herself with the awl.
I love my quilty kitty helpers.

I use my ruler to measure and mark .
I decided on seven snaps for this 18" pillow cover.
I found the center and marked it and then measured 2"  evenly toward each end
for the placement of the snaps and marked with my chaco liner.
I use my awl top punch down the holes on the top and insert the top of the snap.

Then I add the inside snap piece and press together with the pliers one at a time.

  This is a Video by Dritz of How to Use these Snap Pliers

Then I repeat the process with the smaller section of my pillow back.
I do this one snap at a time and align each snap with the awl, insert the cap and
other side of the snaps ... they come in pairs ... an "inner" and an "outer."
In the photo you can see the top will fit into the bottom and snap downward.

Here is my finished  and snapped pillow back panel 

ready to be sewn into my pillow cover. 

Part 5 of this tutorial series will show 

how to put these panels together 

to complete the pillow cover. 

Previous Tutorial links below ...

 Part 1 ~ Gathering Supplies and Getting Started

Part 2 ~ The Fine Details of the Applique ~ Click Here

Part 3 ~ Quilting the Applique Block

I hope to have my final post in this series up tomorrow. 
I hope you are finding these tutorials helpful.

May you and yours be well and safe and sheltered.

Adventures of a SAHASQ ~ Stay-At-Home-and Sew-Quilter

I am a SAHASQ  - Stay-At-Home-and-Sew-Quilter.
I live in a Scrapatch.

Yesterday, National Quilting Day here was a stay at home and  sew day,

which is a typical day for me.

It was also a stay at home and search my stash day

to find just the right fabrics for a new quilty project.

After auditioning several different colors and backgrounds ... 

all of which Quilty Kitty Maestro did not approve ... 

I decided it had to be yellow.

Maestro must have agreed because she decided to go watch birdievision 

at the feeders outside the open south facing window.

The Clothworks Sunflowers fabrics,  which is out of print, have been in my stash many years 

and were purchased at my favorite local quilt shop when they went on clearance.

The shop owner actually alerted me they were going into the sale section

because she knew how much I liked the fabric line and had made a quilt with them.

This was my new summer wall quilt in August 2012

There was no yardage of either of the gorgeous  yellows in that fabric line  by that time

so I had to do some serious stash spelunking in the darkest regions 

of my fabric closet to find a yellow that was just the right color
and would play nice with the other fabrics.
I did have a few to choose from as this warm golden yellow is my favorite color.
The yellow fabric is an old line,  Kaufmann Fusions  5573 and is also out of print.

The time has come to sew this stash fabric. 

My quilty muse and kitties are now happy with my choices

and I am sewing.

More photos of my new quilt in progress coming soon.

Happy Stay-At-Home-Quilting

Stay well and safe. 

Baby Yoda Pattern Series & Tutorial Update

I have opened a page in the green toolbar at the top of my blog for the 

Baby Yoda Pattern Series & Tutorials ~ Click Here

and also added an image to my sidebar for easy reference.

Bone Broth for the Little One 

~ Part 4 ~ 

Making the Back Panel for the Pillow Cover

will be posted soon.

Happy National Quilting Day!

Quilts are a great way to give a social distance hug 

that washes well 

and may be used everyday ... :-) 

March is National Quilting Month!

Today is Our Day! 

@

  Quilt Alliance

Download a free quilt pattern to celebrate National Quilting Day!

Click Here For Links To Free Patterns From Their Partners

~~~~~~~

I am loving this 

for 

from

The Jolly Jabber Blog @ FQS

Download the Mini Wonder Free PDF Quilt Pattern Here

~~~~~~~

Here in the Scrapatch

for National Quilting Month this year, 

I am posting

Free Baby Yoda Block How-To Tutorials Staring Here

Download This Free Pattern Here
from

It is a good time to be a SAYQ

"Stay At Home Quilter" 

May you and your be well and safe.

What are you sewing today?

Bone Broth for the Little One Tutorials ~ Part 3 ~ Quilting the Applique Block

This is my pillow top panel ready to add to my pillow cover.



The Finished Pillow was posted Here

There are two types of quilting here,
both stitched on my regular sewing machine
with the built in walking foot on my Janome 6600p.
Most sewing machines do not have this built in and it is a separate attachment.

If you have a walking foot it looks something like this.
It is also called and even feet foot.
What it does is work together with the regular feed dogs under the fabric
 to help pull heavy fabrics or a quilt sandwich evenly under the needle.

Here is a beginner video of how this works

I actually quilted my first quilts without the benefit of this
attachment even though I had one.
One day, I found it tucked into the foam padding in the bottom of the box
 of my old basic Brother sewing machine.
It is very helpful.
If you have never used or do not have this foot, give it a quilty try.



I added Pellon fusible fleece to the back of my 18" applique block
to stabilize it.  I did not add a back layer of fabric as with a traditional quilt sandwich
as the fleece backed block moves easily with my feed dogs.
You may want to add square of cotton to the back of your fused block.
If you add the back layer of fabric,  a few safety pins would hold it in place, if you want.
I do not add safety pins to my quilt sandwich ... personal preference.
Most things in quilting are personal preferences.
Find what works for you in your happy quilty place.

I started by adding a round of outline quilting about 1/2" way from the
blanket stitch edge of my applique.

I continued added rounds of ripple quilting.

I started my rounds of quilting in a different place along the bottom edge of my applique shape and overlapped the stitches to stop.

I always pull my bobbin thread to the top when I start a quilting line.

Here is a How-to video ~ Pulling Up the Bobbin Thread

This helps avoid thread nests on the back of your quilting.

I actually also do this whenever I start my applique stitching
and any time I start stitching in the middle of my top fabric.

I added ripple quilting out to the edge of my oversized block.

Here is the back fusible fleece showing this quilting.

I could have used this as my pillow top, but we decided make the center a 12" finished block.
We auditioned border fabric and decided on the basketweave for visual interest.

I did not cut my block to 12.5"

I measured a 12" center and added the outer border on top of my quilted block.
This is not the usual way of adding borders to a block or quilt
but in this case it worked for me.

This is my 18" block with the borders added.

The I quilted straight lines about 1/2" apart in the borders from edge to edge.

This created a grid in the corners of my finished quilting.

This is my pillow top ready to be go into my pillow cover.

Bone Broth for the Little One ~ Part 4 ~ Making the Pillow Back
should be posted tomorrow.

Here are the other links in the series: 

 Part 1 ~ Gathering Supplies and Getting Started

Part 2 ~ The Fine Details of the Applique ~ Click Here

More Quilting Ideas

These are similar quilting motifs that are easily done on a regular sewing machine 

with a walking foot ...

Outline quilting on the applique blocks of this

Baby Giraffe Quilt

This is an example of my earliest efforts to quilt my quilts.

  To do this I outline the shape and then echo this stitch line with filler lines within the block which helps to make the applique shape stand out.

Similar to outline and echo quilting is a while quilt method of stitching ... 

Spiral Quilting on my Eye of the Eagle Quilt

I used my walking foot and started by making a circle around the eye of the eagle 

and continued to quilt expanding circles around the center outward.

I hope my readers find this series of posts helpful.

Thank you for following along on my quilty journey!