Scrappy Improv Pillow - OMG January Finish

January was my month to play with improvisation. Improv has always been one of my "quilty fears" - I'm a person who prefers to have an idea of what I'll be creating, before I start the project.




I made this very scrappy improvisational pillow. To make this pillow, I didn't follow a pattern, but rather, just auditioned strips and then when I liked the look, sewed them together.

This pillow finished up at around 18" square which makes it a great size for lounging on the couch in the family room (because the dozen cushions I have there already, just weren't enough?).

I spiral quilted it from off-centre and then hand quilted in between the machine quilted lines. The texture of this pillow is just wonderful. I can't help but run my hand over it.





After making this pillow, I thought I'd get my tub of scrappy strips out again and make a whole new set of table mats.

I followed this same technique and just sewed bits and pieces together without an idea how they'd look when completed. So far, I've made eight 12" x 18" table mats and might make a few more as I seem to have scraps that multiply when I'm not looking.

I'm counting my Scrappy Improv Pillow as my One Monthly Goal January finish with Elm Street Quilts. Visit this link to see what everyone else has completed this month.





Also linking up with: 

Oh Scrap! hosted by Quilting is more fun than housework 

Peacock Party hosted by Wendys Quilt & More



Craftastic Monday hosted by Sew Can Do





32 comments

  1. Love your bright cushion..

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is fun. I have a couple of cushions tha tI sewed a few years ago using this method and they are still my favourite ones. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! This is one of my favourites too. I just need to make sure my kids don't 'love' it too much and make it yucky as i'm not sure how it'd hold up through the wash.

      Delete
  3. Love all the colours you used and a great spiral finish - beautiful :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. I'm really pleased with how it turned out too :)

      Delete
  4. your cushion is happy and perky, and the colors look so great together.
    I love your place mats too. I should and could make a zillion of these... with all of my scraps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rosemary. You know me - love, love, love bright and colourful :)

      PS: I finished sewing on the last binding to the last placemat today. They were such fun to make. You should definitely make a bazillion of these too.

      Delete
  5. Such a pretty and comfy looking cushion. A great scrap buster project.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen. I do love playing with scraps (possibly too much).

      Delete
  6. It makes me so happy to look at your pillow. The color, the patterns, the texture! I love it all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so pleased to read this. I'm glad it made you smile. It makes me smile too and I just can't resist running my hand across the top of it for the texture.

      Delete
  7. Such a fabulously colourful cushion

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anorina: So very pretty, reminds me of spring.

    Catherine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Catherine. I love that it reminds you of spring - my most favourite season.

      Delete
  9. Improvised creations are often the most fun and most successful projects. Your cushion and placemats are so lovely and bright. I love how you have combined machine quilting with hand quilting. It adds such texture . Just gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Ondrea. I must admit, improv is still quite uncomfortable to me but I do like to try new things. I finished off the last placemat this afternoon and I love how they turned out. Now I hope my family don't make them too messy with pasta sauce etc...
      Happy Sewing my friend:)

      Delete
  10. Absolutely LOVE your super scrappy projects!!! I really like the blend of hand and machine quilting on your pillow. It is SEW lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your lovely comment. I love the blend of quilting styles too and would love to make a larger quilt like this. One day....

      Delete
  11. Had to visit your blog - my eyes made me do it as they won't stop looking at that WOW pillow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwww welcome to my little crazy, scrappy and colourful part of the web.
      I'm pleased to read that you liked it :)

      Delete
  12. Beautiful pillow! I also love your hand quilting...really finishes it off wonderfully!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Gina. It really was a lovely project to work on.

      Delete
  13. Beautiful cushions and the table mats are wonderful too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! The mats are finished, bound and ready to use for dinner tomorrow night. Surprisingly I have a lot of scraps left over so I might need to keep making more :)

      Delete
  14. Your pillow looks lovely! Congratulations on accomplishing your OMG. I did not! I can’t believe you pieced 8 placemats, too! Every once in awhile, I try, but I never get very far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh sorry to hear you didn't finish your OMG this month, but don't worry. Life gets busy sometimes and finding time at the sewing machine can be tricky. There is always next month to complete your OMG xx

      Delete
  15. Great idea for you Improv. The pillow looks wonderful! Love that spiral stitching.:)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Just wonderful! I'm not good with Improv, but yours turned out so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love it! I wish that I could reach through the computer screen to touch that pillow with its interesting texture.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love it! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. I truly appreciate the time you've taken to leave me a message. I will attempt to answer comments via email.