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    Home » Sewing » Pillow Patterns

    Patchwork Photo Pillow Tutorial

    Updated: Jul 29, 2021 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 16 Comments

    DIY Patchwork Photo Pillow

     

    Today I’m participating in a very fun Blog Series presented by Kristen Duke at Capturing Joy.  It’s a series all dedicated to decorating with pictures.  If you’ve read this blog for a while you know that I love pictures! I love to scrapbook, display photos around my house and even sew with them.

    There are many fabulous giveaways going on at Capturing Joy, in association with this series. Make sure you stop by and check out the other projects and enter a giveaway.

    300 wide

    In the spirit of Valentine’s day today I thought that for my pictures project, I would make a fun throw pillow with photos of some of the people I love most in the world.

    photo-pillow-tutorial

     

    Would you like to make a pillow too? Here’s how you can do it.

    You’ll need:

    • 1 sheet of fusible printable fabric
    • 1 10” x 10” piece of light colored fabric
    • 1 14” x 14” piece of fabric for pillow back
    • 2 strips 10” x 2 ½”
    • 2 strips 14” x 2 ½”
    • 3 ½” wide heart backed with fusible web
    • 1 package of piping
    • 1 pillow form

    decorate-with-pictures

     

    Print your photos 3” x 3” onto your sheet of printable fabric. You’re going to need some sort of photo editing program to do this. I used photoshop but I know that in iPhoto you can print custom photo sizes all on one piece of paper.

    memory-pillow

     

    Using a ruler so that you can see where you are cutting, cut the photos out leaving a ¼” border of white around each photo.

    photo-pillow

     

    Mark the centers of the 10” x 10” piece of fabric by pressing the fabric in fourths. This will give you a visual grid for laying out your photos.

    diy-photo-pillow

     

    Press the 3 photos and your heart onto the pillow.  Stitch around the edge of all items.

    Sew the 2,  2 ½” x 10” strips of fabric to the top and bottom of the square with a ¼” seam. Press seams.

    Sew the 2, 2 ½” x 14” strips of fabric to the other two sides of the square. Press

    Sew piping to pillow front, if you need to know how to do this you can read my tutorial all about piping here.

    Sew pillow front to back leaving a 6” opening to turn pillow right side out.  Turn right side out, insert pillow form and hand stitch opening closed.

    If you enjoyed this project you may also enjoy my book.

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    Connect with me:

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    More Projects You May Enjoy

    • How to Make a Retro Diorama Ornament
    • How to Make String Christmas Ornaments
    • How to Make a Halloween Potions Centerpiece & Free Printable Potions Jar Labels
    • How to Make Fabric Kimekomi Christmas Ornaments

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    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. CathieJ says

      February 16, 2014 at 6:46 pm

      What a great pillow! I have scrolled through your blog and I love what you craft. I definitely have to try the fusible printable fabric.

      Reply
    2. gayle says

      February 17, 2014 at 5:47 am

      Beautiful cushion, great tutorial. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    3. Jen Roh says

      February 20, 2014 at 4:44 pm

      Hi, love this idea and would love to do a pillow for each of my kids. Do you use a specific brand/type of printable fabric? I’m sure there are several brands and I have not used it before to know if any are better than others. Thanks for your time

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        February 26, 2014 at 11:07 am

        Yes, I’ve found that the Electric Quilt companies printable fabric is the best. Don’t buy cheap stuff, it will fade horribly over time. You can order on their website- I like the plain cotton.

        Reply
    4. Cheryl says

      February 27, 2014 at 10:29 am

      Wow, this looks so easy! I have been planning on making a commemorative quilt for my father- one that shows our family tree. I have a basic pattern in mind but wasn’t quite sure how I would copy the pictures onto the fabric. Then I stumble upon your blog. “Printable fabric” I should of thought of this before-duh. Guess I have mommy brain. LOL
      Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
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    I’m also a Mom and a Maker. I am like most of you, just trying to do my best every day. Some days I succeed, many days I fail.  I find joy in creating, if you do too, then I hope that you find something here bring a little “happy” to your life.  Find out more about me here.

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