Spell It With Moda Fabric! Monogram Pillows Tutorial

We're in the midst of a winter storm here in western Kansas, and you know what that means! Snow Day = Sew Day! Yay! It gave me the excuse to kick off Moda Bake Shop's Birthday Quilt-Along by hosting a little sew along yesterday on Facebook and Instagram using Moda's Spell It With Moda Fabric! pattern booklet. Double Yay!

I've been hoarding a fat eighth bundle of Little Black Dress 2 to make some pillows for my bed. And these fun letters from Spell It With Moda Fabric! are perfect for some cute monogram pillows!

Today, I'm sharing photos from my sew along yesterday. So go grab a jelly roll, fat quarter bundle, or like me, a fat eighth bundle, and join me as I recap the details on how to make these cute pillows.

The pattern for the letters I used are in the Spell It With Moda Fabric! booklet, available at your local quilt shop, or you can access them individually at Moda's Pinterest Page. The patterns in the booklet are easy to read and follow, and they are so quick and fun to make!

So, let's get started! Since my hubby's name starts with A, that's the letter I started with.

Follow the cutting instructions for the letter you are making, but don't cut background fabric for the borders in the pattern.

Your letter should measure 8 1/2" x 10 1/2".

Cut two 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strips and two 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" strips of background fabric. Sew the 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strips to the left and right sides of your letter block. Sew the 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" strips to the top and bottom.

Your block should now measure 12 1/2" x 12 1/2".

From assorted print fabrics, cut four 3" x 15" strips. (I will cut these strips down and square up my block after I've assembled and quilted it.) Or, if you are using a jelly roll, cut four 14 1/2" strips from an assortment of 2 1/2" wide strips.

Sew the first outer border strip to your block using a partial seam. How do you do that, you ask? Just sew the first strip onto the block stopping approximately 2" from the edge of the block end. Now, working your way around the block in a counterclockwise direction, sew the remaining three borders on.

To complete that partial seam, just sew the remaining length of your first strip. That's a partial seam. Easy peasy!

Yay! Your monogram pillow top is complete and ready to quilt!

I also made an S for my initial:)

To go with my monogram pillows, I also made a plus block. Kind of like carving your initials in a tree: A+S! From your background fabric, cut two 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" strips, four 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" rectangles, and two 2 1/2" x 1 1/2" rectangles. From your print fabric, cut two 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares and one 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle.

The photo illustrates the sewing order for this block. Sew across rows 2-4 first, then sew the rows together from top to bottom.

Your plus block should measure 8 1/2" x 10 1/2", just like the other Spell It With Moda Fabric! blocks before borders. Now add the first row of background border and the outer print border just like we did for the letter blocks.

All three of my monogram pillow tops ready for quilting!

I quilted a simple 2" crosshatch with my sewing machine to quilt my pillow tops.

After the pillow tops are quilted, square them up to 16 1/2".

Are you ready to turn your quilted blocks into pillows? Cut two 16 1/2" x 21" rectangles from your pillow backing fabric. Fold in half, wrong sides together, so that the rectangles now measure 16 1/2" x 10 1/2". Press both pieces.

Pin one of the backing halves to the right side of your pillow top, raw edges to raw edges. Sew using a 3/8" seam.

Pin the other half of the backing to the other side of the pillow front. Sew using a 3/8" seam. The backing halves will overlap in the center.

Turn the pillow right-side out and insert a 16" pillow form. TaDa! Quick and easy monogram pillows!

I just love the way my pillows look on my bed with my Turning Twenties quilt made with Little Black Dress 1 fabric.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. I'll be sharing more Spell It With Moda Fabric! fun over the next few months as I, and the other Moda Bake Shop Chefs, celebrate Moda Bake Shop's 7th Birthday!

~Sharla

P.S.

Here are the other Moda Bake Shop Chefs (& their links) that are co-hosting with me for the MBS Birthday Quilt Along:

Amanda Castor  {materialgirlquilts | blog: materialgirlquilts.com}
Debora Exum {studiodragonflyquilts | studiodragonfly.blogspot.com}
Jemima Flendt {tiedwitharibbonquilts  | tiedwitharibbon.com}
Jenn Nevitt {mommysew | mommysew.com}
Lisa Calle   {vintagemodernquilts  | vintagemodernquilts.com}
Oda May    {modabakeshop | modabakeshop.com}
Samantha Olsen {samanthaleeolsen}
Susan Ache {yardgrl60}
Terri Ann Swallow {terriann | childlikefascination.com}
Vanessa Goertzen {lellaboutique | lellaboutique.blogspot.com}

And of course, me:
Sharla Krenzel {thistlethicketstudio | thistlethicketstudio.com}

Be sure to follow all of us for some MBS Birthday fun over the next few months!

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