The inspiration fabric is Calico Crow by Lauren Nash for Riley Blake Designs. I purchased some fat quarters from Allison at My Timeless Day, and then pulled in a few other favorite prints from my stash. The tea stained hand towel with the crocheted edge belonged to my grandmother, and I decided to make good use of it rather than keep it in a drawer. I intended to use the jute cording to finish the pillow, but in the end I decided to go with a fabric binding instead.
To highlight the patchwork area, I added simple straight-line quilting 1/8\” from each seam. I used my go-to thread for my autumn-inspired projects: Aurifil 2214 (Golden Honey) 50wt. I didn\’t add any quilting to the focal fabric on the right side of the pillow. Those crows are so cute they don\’t need any embellishing!
The Romantic Patchwork Pillow tutorial is really geared toward using a mini charm pack. But for this pillow I just cut two-inch squares from the fat quarters I had purchased at My Timeless Day. I also did a bit of fussy cutting from the focal fabric. Do you see the crows in the photo below? They remind me of squabbling siblings!
This is my fourth version of this tutorial. The original pillow featured pretty pink florals with a wide band of crocheted trim taken from vintage table linens (hence the name Romantic Patchwork Throw Pillow). I’ve also sewn two Christmas versions: one in Pixie Noel by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake Designs and the other in Jingle Birds by Keiki for Moda Fabrics.
As I was auditioning fabrics for my autumn pillow, I made quite a mess of my stash baskets. (Creative mess is good for the soul!) Luckily my mom was here for a few days, resting after a dental surgery. Of course, I made her earn her keep by organizing some scraps. Thanks, Mom!
