Quilted BoHo Pillow Tutorial

October 29, 2019

Blog, Craft Tutorial, Quilting Tutorial, Sewing Tutorial, Tutorial
boho, Chenille-It, linen, other project, pillows, tutorial

Ahhhh!!! I love the way this quilted boho pillow turned out. Whether it’s World Market, Target, Anthropology, or Hobby Lobby, boho pillows are everywhere. I have been dreaming about creating a quilted boho pillow of my own, and after I saw the possibilities within Chenille-It, the sky was the limit (click here for an introduction to Chenille-It). I really had a hard time deciding on the design I wanted to make, so seeing this pillow finished makes me so happy. Isn’t it modern, hip, and fun? I cooked up this tutorial on it so you too can make your own. Chenille-It is the perfect way to easily spruce up any project. This quilted boho pillow is a nod to the very first pattern I designed but never wrote (click here to see more). This would actually make a great quilt. Speaking of quilts . . . I am working on a quilt pattern with chenille it to, so stay tuned for more of my explorations with Chenille-It.

For the fabric, I used a linen cotton blend because I love the way Chenille-It complements the textures of linen. They blend seamlessly together. If you also choose to use linen, adjust your seam allowance to ½” and take a slightly smaller stitch length. I forgot to and was a little disappointed after I washed the top by itself. The linen unraveled to the seam in two areas. If I made this project again, I would sandwich and quilt the top before washing it. Live and learn, right?

This project uses about half a roll of Black Chenille-It Blooming Bias at 5/8 inch wide.*

For this project you will need

16 – 6″ squares
16 – 8 ¼” strips of Chenille-It*
32 – 7 ¼” strips of Chenille-It*
16 – 4″ strips of Chenille-It*
16 – 3″ strips of Chenille-It*

Finished size:
¼” seam – 22 ½”
½” seam – 21″

Creating the boho squares with Chenille-It

1- In the center of a 6″ square, on the diagonal place an 8 ¼” strip of Chenille-It. Pin and sew it into place.

2- On both sides of the center strip, place a 7 ¼” strip of Chenille-It. Pin and sew them into place.

3- Measure two inches from the corner. Draw a line with your marking tool (I suggest a chalk mechanical pencil).

4- Place a 4″ strip of Chenille-It along the line. Sew into place.

5- Place a 3″ strip on the edge of the last strip of Chenille-It. Trim edges straight.

This is how it will look.
6- Repeat this process until you have sewn the five strips of Chenille-It to all 16 squares.

7- Locate two squares, place one on top of the other with Chenille-It seams touching. Pin the edge with four strips of Chenille-It. Repeat for a total of eight sets. Iron seams to the right.

8- Locate two of the square sets. Place one on top of the other, lining up the edges with all eight seams with Chenille-It. Press open. Repeat for a total of four blocks.

9- Pin and sew two blocks together. Repeat for a total of two rows.

10- Pin and sew two rows together making a large pillow top.

Use your scrap batting for your pillow

For added texture, volume, and durability, I quilted the quilt top and bottom before I finished the pillow. I didn’t plan on doing this originally, so I quilted it after I washed it. But it would make more sense to sandwich and quilt it before it’s washed. I quilted the pillow top with echoing squares, for the back I quilted lines.

Add a zipper to the back.

Because I wanted to take some fuss out of the process of making the pillow, I put a zipper in the back. That way I could sew the pillow on all sides without leaving an opening for turning it inside out; I also didn’t have to hand stitch the gap closed. The best part about making the pillow this way was all the layers hide what’s inside. I used my scraps from my fabric trash bin, and you aren’t able to see it or feel the lumps. You aren’t able to see the various colors of my scraps either. The last pillow I made, I pulled the linen out of shape when I turned the pillow inside out through the small hole, but with the zipper I can adjust the size of the hole at any time. Just remember to keep the zipper pull inside of your project. I have trimmed it off on accident a few times and it takes me a long time to put the zipper pull back on it’s tracks.