anthro inspired pillow

okay so i've been infatuated with the rosette bedding at anthropologie for quite some time now...i actually made the blanket last year following this awesome tutorial at kojo designs...but after a couple months the rosettes started coming unravelled...i guess i didn't knot it enough times?  anyway, i decided to try making a couple pillows to see if i could come up with a sturdier method.  

i'd really recommend reading the tutorial at kojo designs before you start making this.  

so i went to wal-mart and got:

-twin size flat sheet (grey) 

-24"x24" pillow

-24" zipper

to start out i cut:

-(2) 24"x24" squares (one for the front and back)

-(1) 34"x34" square (to make the rosette on the front)

-(1) 6"x24" square (also for the back)

(I made the squares the same size as my pillow because it was really soft and i knew it would give a little if the case was smaller-but if you have a really firm pillow i'd add an extra inch for the seams.)

the larger square for the rosettes was really just an estimate; i basically just took the square i cut for the front (outlined in black) and added an extra 5 inches in all directions (outlined in white).  i ended up having to trim a little bit off but i wouldn't recommend going much smaller than that-plus if you feel like you have too much extra fabric you can always make the rosette larger and that will make up for it.  

for now we will be working on the front which uses (1) 24"x24" square and (1) 34"x34" square:

i started by marking the centers of both squares-basically i just folded the squares into quarters and marked the corners (the blue dots).  this will also help you determine what size circle you should use to make the rosette.  you don't want the radius of your circle to be larger than the area indicated by the blue arrow.  

on the larger square i just free handed (is that the right past tense..??) the circle and stitched around it using stitches at least 1 inch apart.  once you pull your thread tight you should get a little pouf like this:

next, lay the larger square onto the smaller making sure the centers line up.  pinching the center of the pouf, press down and twist.

this is where i changed it bit from the kojo tutorial: i sewed a circle all around the pouf attaching it to the smaller square.  i also stitched the center of the pouf into place.  this way inside of your pillow is smooth and the rosette is pretty solidly attached and (hopefully) won't unravel.  don't worry about your stitches showing, as long as you keep it pretty close to the the your hand stiching the fabric will keep it covered-i can't even see it on my pillow unless i pull the fabric apart.  

before you start pinning the pleats in place, keep twisting the larger, top square around as much as you can to get a sort of 'torsion' effect-this will help hide your stitches.  then line up the corners and pin in place.  the fabric should already be forming ridges so just use these as a guide to pin your pleats into place.

at this point, depending on the size of the circle you used for the rosette, your top square may still be larger than your bottom square.  if this is the case, don't try to line up the edges, just pull the top square taut, pin, and trim the excess.  if you try to line up the edges when there is excess fabric, you will end up with a weird poofy version (that's what happened to mine along the corners).

sew along the edges, trim the excess fabric, and that's the front of the pillow!!  (somehow i managed to lose some of my pleats during this process.  i still haven't figured out how since they were all pinned in place...)

 now for the back...you need the other 24"x24" square and the 6"24" strip:
you might be wondering what that random 6"x24" strip is for...well i wanted my zipper to be near the bottom instead of the middle and this is my weird method of zipper sewing.  basically i wanted the zipper to be 3" up from the bottom, so i doubled that and cut a 6" strip instead of 3".  this saves me from having to make 2 hems and adds a little more weight to the bottom half.

first press the 6"x24" strip in half lengthwise, that crease will be where the zipper eventually goes (blue line).  now line up the strip along the bottom (or any side really since it's a square...) of the 24"x24" square (the 6"x24" strip is outlined in white).  pin in place and baste along the crease (blue line).

sorry i don't have a really good photo of the next few steps...but press your seam open.  make sure the 2 halves of the 6" strip are together-the strip should be folded in half.  press the 3" flap of the 24"x24" square up or away from the 6" strip.  trim this flap down to about 1", then fold and press into a hem.

pin your zipper in place and sew along each side.

this is what it should look like when you're done...at this point you can rip out the baste stitches and your zipper should be good to go.

now, right sides facing in, line up the front and back sides.  pin and sew all the way around.  flip the pillow case right side out through the zipper opening and voila!  your brand new anthro inspired rosette pillow for a fraction of the cost!!  I think i spent just under $20 for my pillow (compared to $60 at anthro) and i love it!!  plus, i still have quite a bit of leftover fabric...  let me know if you have any questions and good luck!!

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