Create a Fall Flange Pillow
By Shelli of Needle in a Haystack Designs
Find directions and the free acorn pattern on how to hand-embroider this design by visitingwww.YouCanMakeThis.com.
Find the FREE acorn applique for machine embroidery by visiting the free section of www.SWAKembroidery.com!
Autumn has to be my very favorite time of the year! I love the smells of canning and harvest, the warm colors of the trees and mountains as they turn, and the rich blueness of the sky that is only present in the fall. I’m so excited to bring you this exclusive Fall Flange Pillow! I hope you enjoy the process of making it as much as you will enjoy having it as a part of your Autumn décor! 
Materials Needed:
*cutting board, straight edge ruler, rotary cutter (not vital, but helpful!)
*Two, 14” squares of fabric for the pillow top and bottom: osnaburg, linen, loose weaves, denim, cotton prints, etc. (I used tea-dyed osnaburg for this project)
*One, 14” square of thin bonded batting or “Warm and Natural” quilt batting
Special Note: These 2 measurements above are based on making the 5x7 applique acorn pillow. If you choose to use this same technique on other embroidery designs, simply cut your background fabric to the following parameters: measure a 2" border around each side of the embroidered image, add your chosen flange width (ranging typically from 1" to 2"), plus 1/4" seam allowance to create the pillow top.
*Pillow stuffing
*Scraps of 3 coordinating Autumn fabrics
*Stabilizer of your choice
*4 coordinating 1” buttons (optional)
Directions:
Embroider your design as you wish onto your main background fabric.
Press the pillow top.
Squares right sides together with batting.
Place pillow squares, right sides together, with the square of batting or Warm and Natural on top. Pin around edges. (The batting provides a small amount of stiffness so the flanges won’t be floppy). Using a ¼” seam allowance, sew around the edges of the pillow, leaving a 5” opening at the bottom.
Clip the corners and turn right side out. Use a pair of scissors to gently push each corner out. Press.
Using a contrasting color of thread, top-stitch (on the front of the pillow) 1½“ from the edge around all edges of the pillow starting at the bottom, leaving the same 5” opening. (The tacking stitches will show, so be careful to only do 2 or 3 small and neat tack stitches). Repeat with two additional rows of top-stitching that are each 1/8” apart, making each one closer to the edge of the pillow.
Gently stuff pillow with batting. As the pillow fills with stuffing and you have it as full as you’d like, push the stuffing as far into the pillow as possible and pin the opening closed below the sewing line.
Change out the regular presser foot of your machine for the zipper foot. This will allow you to get as close to the stuffing as possible while sewing the opening closed, and completing the rows of top-stitching. Begin at the innermost topstitching line, and sew the opening closed 1½” from the edges, meeting up with the previously sewn lines. Again, the tacking stitches will show, so only do 2 or 3 small stitches. Repeat twice more to finish the additional rows of top-stitching. Clip threads carefully.
Hand-sew the outer edge closed. Gently “massage” the pillow to disperse the stuffing evenly throughout the pillow.
As an option, hand-sew coordinating buttons to each corner.
I hope you have enjoyed creating this fall project. Try displaying it in a variety of ways to add a cozy touch to your home!
Try adding the flange technique to other projects!
http://www.swakembroidery.com/info/featured-products/SWAK_niah_autumnredworkglorysampler2sizes.htm
