Heart Button Pillow

Got buttons? For some reason I am addicted to buttons; I love using them in my scrapbooks and papercrafting projects. I've been wanting to try making a button pillow, ever since I saw one in an upscale boutique with a price tag that meant it was never coming home with me! That one had three little flower buttons on it and embroidered stems and grass, and I thought, "So cute but even I could make that!" With Valentine's day next month, I decided to get a jump on my holiday projects.

You will need: felt by the bolt, embroidery thread, disappearing ink pen (also called a quilter's pen), newspaper, fiberfill for stuffing, and an assortment of buttons.

Begin by tracing a template for the pillow shape with the pen onto felt, I used a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper as I wanted an accent pillow. Cut out one piece of felt.
Use newspaper to make a template for the heart or whatever shape you want to make on your pillow. Use pen to trace it onto felt.Remove heart shaped template from on top of felt, arrange buttons inside of template until you have an arrangement you like to give you an idea of how your completed pillow will look. You may have to make adjustments to button placement as you sew. Refer to button covered template as you transfer buttons to felt.

Use 3 strands of embroidery thread to attach buttons onto felt, making outline of shape first and then filling in. When finished lay button covered piece down on top of a matching or coordinating felt. The two pieces of felt should be right side to right side, as you'll be turning them inside out when done. Use a running stitch to attach to each other, or sew on a machine. Leave approximately three inches open to turn and stuff. Cut around sewed on piece. Turn inside out, stuff with fiberfill and whip stitch closed. The finished pillow is a little less than 12 inches square due to stuffing.

I didn't follow that exact method, but it's the one I would have used if I didn't come up with the "brilliant", i.e. more time consuming idea to make two pillows out of one. I completed both pillow "fronts" and then used a running stitch to sew them together right side to right side, before turning them inside out and finishing. Remember, I'm avoiding actually using my sewing machine, still scared of it I suppose! I have a pink pillow front with the button heart and by turning it around I have a red felt pillow front with a white button snowflake on it. It's too late to use the red side for Christmas but it's all ready for next year. I thought this 2 for 1 would give me less to have to store! I really love how it came out, and I did the whole thing in an afternoon.