Negative Image Pillow

I have a thing for throw pillows. In fact, I have a Pinterest board dedicated just to throw pillows. However, this love isn’t reflected in my house, because whenever I see one, I always think: I could make that. Then I never do.

However, I got this idea for a pillow and just had to try it. The idea for this pillow came to me at night when I couldn’t sleep–which is when I get a lot of my craft ideas. Insomnia, at least you’re good for something.

It’s a negative image pillow. The concept is pretty simple to execute; it just takes a lot of patience and some time at your machine.

I did my two pillows in black with gold thread, but they would be equally as lovely in any two high-contrast colors.

STEP ONE: Prepare materials

I printed my pattern on some left over packing paper. You can also print on tracing paper. Basically, you just want a simple guide on easy to remove paper, because you’ll sew right over it. The first time I tried this, I just drew a basic shape by hand. You want your monogram in the middle and stripes diagonally across the paper.

You’re also going to want to adhere some interfacing on the back of your fabric. This will stabilize it and keep it from warping as you sew.

STEP 2: Pin and Sew

Pin your paper to the front of your fabric that’s been lined with the interfacing. Line the paper up and center it, but it’s not necessary for the paper to go all the way to the end of the fabric.

Start sewing from the center. Line up your needle where the outline of the letter and the stripe intersect and sew out towards the edge. Then turn once you get to the edge and sew back towards the middle, stopping once you hit the place where the line and the edge of the letter intersect. Then lift past the letter, pulling the thread with you, then continue sewing the line, leaving a break in the line where the letter and line intersect.

Basically, sew the lines, but skip inside the letter.

STEP 3: Continue to Sew

Finish sewing on the lines, leaving the letter as a negative image. Once you’re no longer interrupting the lines with the spaces, it’s easier if you take off the paper and use your machine sewing foot to figure out the spacing of the lines. See photos to see what I mean:

 

STEP 4: Trim and Remove Paper

Trim all the strings on the front from leaving the negative space. Remove paper.

STEP 5: Sew into Pillow

Using your preferred method, sew into a throw pillow.