Button Accent Pillow with Ruffle

This is a super versatile pillow that will work any room. Simple choose your fabric patterns and colors to create the appropriate "look": novelty fabrics for the nursery, soft florals for a porch or sunroom, warm naturals for a bedroom or den.

The finished pillow is just 14" x 18" - a perfect size for clustering into a group.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing machine (We recommend the Janome Magnolia 7330)
• 1/4" Seam foot

Fabric and Other Supplies

• 1½ yds. Cotton fabric(s) for two fronts, back and ruffle. Depending on the look you want to achieve, you can have all your fabrics match, or as we did in our samples, you can mix and match coordinating fabrics, selecting a different color or pattern for each front piece and the ruffle.
• 1 - Button
• All-purpose sewing thread to match fabric
• 14" x 18" - Pillow form

Fabric Preparation

From Cotton fabric cut the following:

• One - 10" x 15" for pillow left front
• One - 14 3/4" x 15" for pillow right front
• One - 4½" x 32" strip for ruffle
• 1½ yds - heavy cording, crochet cotton or string (for gathering ruffle)

Getting Started

Front Left

1. With the right side of your fabric up, fold 3/4" under and press.
2. Fold under another 2" and press.
   

At Your Machine

Front Left

1. Set up sewing machine for a straight stitch.
2. Place all-purpose sewing thread in needle and bobbin.
3. Stitch close to folded edge to secure hem you just created above.
   
4. Fold in half to find center.
5. Sew button on center mark inside the hemline.
   

Front Right

Making Ruffle

1. Fold 14 1/2" x 32" strip in half widthwise.
2. Press.
3. Gather strip at raw edge to yield a 15" strip, following these steps:

• Select the Zig Zag stitch. Set the stitch width to 4.0.
• Place strip under the foot with the raw edges facing right.
• Place a piece of heavy thread, crochet cotton or string on top of the fabric with approximately 6" of heavy thread extending beyond the fabric.
• Line up the cut edge of the fabric with the right edge of your presser foot. Lower your presser foot.
• Start sewing slowly. The idea is to zig zag over the heavy thread but not stitching through it. You are creating a little "cage" for the heavy thread to slide through.
• Zig zag over the heavy thread the entire length of the ruffle strip. Cut the heavy thread leaving a 3" tail.
• Place a straight pin at the end of the strip and wrap the thread tail around the pin before starting to gather the fabric. This will prevent pulling the thread out of the zig zag stitches as you gather.
• Start pulling the 6" thread left at the beginning of the strip. The fabric will gather as you pull the thread. If you did catch a bit of the heavy thread as you stitched, just clip the zig zag stitch and continue pulling.
• Gather the strip until it is 15". Do not remove the heavy thread until the ruffle is sewn to the main fabric.

Attaching Ruffle to Front Right

1. Stitch ruffle to right side of fabric raw edge to raw edge.
   
2. Fold ruffle over and press.
3. Fold in half to find center.
4. Sew Buttonhole on center mark. (Refer to your Instruction Manual for the specifics steps to make a buttonhole with your sewing machine.)
   

Completing Pillow

1. Place right front (right side) to right side of pillow back.
2. Line up corners and pin in place.
3. Place left front (left side) overlapping rigt front and line up edges with pillow back. Pin in place.
   
4. Stitch together, using a 1/4" seam allowance.
   
5. Turn inside out, insert pillow form, and button the opening closed.
   

Other machines suitable for this project include the Brother ES-2000, the Bernina activa 220, and the Baby Lock Audrey A-Line Series.