Upcycled Applique Pillow

I told you about my new sewing machine a few days ago! Since then, I've been sewing away. I've practiced all the different stitches on fabric remnants to get a feel for my new machine. I have tons to learn about sewing. Serging, lining, interfacing, measuring, cutting tools, and tons more but I like to dive right in and see if I can at least tread water! That's just the type of person I am! If any of you have book suggestions or sewing websites, I'm all ears!!!

My first project was to make my daughter an applique'd pillow for her birthday. I don't have much of a fabric stash, other than a few bits of fabric I bought a few years ago when I discovered Printable Fabric Sheets + Heat N Bond + Fabric Puff Paint = Great looking canvas bag designs! Since I haven't built up a fabric inventory, I used some of our clothes we've either outgrown or worn too much for daily wear. My pillow turned out better than I even expected plus I feel good knowing I've kept a few things from going to the landfill.

This pillow is slightly larger than a typical travel sized pillow measuring 18" x 14". The denim came from a pair of jeans with way too many holes either in the front or at the rear pockets - Not exactly wearable! The hot pink fabric (see photo 2) as well as the red, rainbow and blue fabrics in the letters M and A are left over fat quarters I used years ago to make my daughter's fabulous Girl Scout bag! I should clean it up and show it to you!!! All the other letters were created from shirts and shorts cast aside long ago. The light pink fabric I appliqued her name to was the bottom of an old Girl Scout camp T Shirt that received virtually no wear. No one can wear it now and it wouldn't fetch much at a yard sale or consignment store so I created a better use for it! The only thing I bought for this little pillow was the cotton fiber fill. I would have used plastic grocery bags if I thought it wouldn't get used much but, knowing her, I'm sure it'll get plenty of use! I'm so proud of how this turned out, I even managed to match up all my seams!

My next projects include making a Nintendo DSi carrier for J Man, a quilt, and an apron...oh and turning the other part of those jeans into a hand bag!