my little niece turned 3 recently, and a couple weeks before her birthday my sis asked me if i could sew a quilted pillow to go in her “big girl room.” she gave me a sham from the bedding set she had ordered to coordinate with, and set me loose design-wise. her new bedding was inspired by the balloon dress i made that she seems to be wearing every time i see her lately – it sure does make you feel good to sew a gift that is so well loved, ya know? i was actually going to sew her another dress until this request came in. 😉
i decided to make a simple log cabin pillow showcasing some special fabric. i wanted it to have enough contrast to stand out against the pink/cream balloon bedding my sis had bought (see below) didn’t want it to be too serious – it had to have whimsy! and i happen to think typewriters typing hearts with gold polka dots is pretty darn whimsical.
my friend Kelly (nope, Kelly says not her – probably Jess but she can’t remember) had given me a fat quarter of this super special Ruby Star Rising typewriter fabric (Melody Miller for Kokka – couldn’t find the typewriters online but Superbuzzy and Miss Matatabi have some Ruby Star Rising left). it was so generous of her – i’d never owned any of Melody’s fabric but always admired it, and i’m ridiculously excited about cotton + steel, too!
it pained me to do it, but i trimmed off a few inches on each side, then added a 1” border of dear stella confetti sparkle and then a 1.5” border of kona charcoal.
i backed it with more confetti sparkle and a scrap of kokka polka dots from this coat. i ended up super happy with this fabric combination…it just made me smile when i brought it all together.
the quilting is a diagonal grid 2” apart – consulted Jess for quilting advice and whether to add the second boarder, sometimes I have trouble with quilting vision and she has it in spades. it’s hard to show in photos but i love how the darker border splits up the polka dots and makes the front look like it’s floating in a frame.
i also made a little raw edged heart pillow with scraps from Em’s hide-and-seek dress. it’s got a little Liberty pocket for secret treasures (or maybe baby teeth, when it’s time for her to lose some!). Em stuffed it for me!
i felt like it needed a special (wonkily) hand stitched touch, so i stitched around the bottom right typewriter heart with embroidery thread. the pillow closes with an invisible zipper and there’s a down pillow inside (from IKEA).
the little gal seemed to be a fan and it went really well in her room! these photos were actually taken in Em’s new room (she switched with the boys before C’s birth but i can’t do a proper tour for ya until i sew her some curtains, sorry).
quilted pillows are such a fun gift to give!
skirt as top 
Ok, this is an amazing pillow. I love it. LOVE IT. Perfect fabric combo
Oh my gosh, I ADORE the typewriters! So cute! And I love how you paired with polka dots! So cute!
Oh, wow . . . do I ever love that fabric AND the amazing pillow you made with it! 🙂
Such a great pillow, Kristin! You are a superb auntie! 🙂 I had a visceral reaction to the confetti dots, feeling like I was going to throw up. I realized it was because it was the fabric I used for Indigo’s Christmas pajamas, inspired by a dress you made for Em, and my morning sickness was so awful when I made it. All these months later, even seeing it brought it all back. Instant nausea! Ha! Well, I love the pillow and the heart shaped pillow too. Such a sweet gift.
this is so gorgeous, Kristin. I love the fabric combos you put together. fab job!
This is adorable! Love the polka dot and grey border. Such a fun touch!
That is such a great mustardy green color with the pink and gold dots. How fun!
Oooo, that’s pretty! I always loved that typewriter fabric, perfect use for it. and the gold dots, good stuff i tell ya!
Yay! Thank youuu!!!! 🙂
I wish this pillow were for sale! It is just so cute!
I love these colors! I really want to quilt a bit too – maybe something like this would be a good beginner project? Lovely, Kristin and I’m just so inspired by how polished your projects still are with that wee one in tow – wow!!
Such a lovely Auntie present… dreamy choice of fabrics!