Regular followers of our CT Notions blog will know that, recently, I have been decorating a guest bedroom for foreign exchange students with a series of projects in a neutral palette. I recently wrote about a modern Yo-Yo wall hanging I completed. To read about the construction and see the finished project, please click here.

After changing my mind about some fabric colors in the wall hanging, I had five leftover rows of Yo-Yos (see photo below). They were so disappointed to be left out of the wall hanging, I promised them they would be used in a coordinating pillow. So, this weekend I kept my promise!

My supplies included:

• 1/2 yard of a natural-colored 100% cotton linen
• A 12″ x 22″ pillow form
• Five rows of eleven Yo-Yos saved from the coordinating wall hanging
• Wonder Tape
• Essential thread for machine sewing the pillow and hand sewing the Yo-Yos together
• Polyester fiberfill stuffing
• Point 2 Point Turner

The pillow form measured 12″ x 22″, so I added 1/2″ all around, and cut the front piece at 13″ x 23″. The five rows of Yo-Yos were whip stitched  together as one unit – as I did for the Yo-Yo wall hanging. After securing the five rows to the pillow front with Wonder Tape, I used Essential thread to tack each Yo-Yo to the pillow front, tying knots at the beginning and end of all the tacking stitches.

To make the envelope back, I cut two pieces 13″ (the height plus seam allowances) x 16″ (2/3 of the pillow length plus 1-1/2″). I folded one short end on each back piece over about 3/4″ to the WS, folded again another 3/4″, and used a decorative stitch to sew the folded edges. Truthfully, I meant to make French seams but forgot because my sewing machine was sounding terrible. I overlapped the folded edges of the two back pieces and sewed them to the front with a 1/2″ seam. I clipped the corners and turned the pillow RS out. A Point 2 Point Turner helped me get sharp points in the corners. After the pillow form was inserted, the corners seemed a little empty so I added some polyester fiberfill stuffing.

Now the new Yo-Yo pillow, nestled in a old green recliner covered with a brown slipcover, adds some style to a comfortable corner of the guest bedroom. Plus, I feel good about keeping my promise!  😉