Homespun Rag Patchwork Pillow

This pillow was Emily's first project with a sewing machine. Emily is 11 years old and she actually whipped this pillow out in less than two hours from start to finish! Emily is a personal friend of mine and I have a feeling she is going to be back for more projects!

Materials:

• 1 -five inch charm pack in assorted colors
• 1 -pkg poly fiber fill for pillows
• 1- cute button size 1" or larger -optional
• 2- coordinating fabric Fat Quarters
  

1. Lay out the pillow design using 16 squares placed 4 across and 4 down. Each of the squares should be doubled so this step will actually use 32 squares.
   
2. Stitch the squares together by row. Then stitch the rows together to form the front of the pillow. Homespun fabric has no front or back so it doesn't matter which way you turn it as long as all the seams are on the same side.
   
3. Use a 5/8" seam allowance. Backstitch several times to tie off the beginning and the ending of each seam. The back stitching should be done about 5/8" from the beginning and 5/8" from the ending instead of at the very edge.
   
4. Press the back side of the pillow front so that it will lay flat. The "back" is the side that has finished seams. The "front" is the side with all the seams.
   
5. Press out the two fat quarters and place one on top of the other.
   
6. Place the pillow front on top of the fat quarters with the seams facing up. Trim the fat quarters to match the pillow front and pin the pillow front to the fat quarters around the outside edges.
   
7. Stitch around the outside edges with a 5/8" stitch leaving an opening about 6".
   
8. Clip ALL seams to about 1/4" from the stitching. Clips should be made at about 1/2" - 3/4" intervals. This includes the seams on the front of the pillow and the seams on the sides. Clip the seam allowance in the unstitched opening.
   
9. Machine wash and dry the pillow cover using a liquid fabric softener if available.
   
10. Use a lint brush to remove excess strings.
    
11. Stuff the pillow and stitch up the opening.
    
12. Sew a button into the center stitching through the entire thickness of the pillow. Buttons are optional. It's still really cute without one!