Swooning Over Ruffles

I love ruffles. From the ruffles on the backs of baby bloomers to ruffles on skirts, shower curtains and more, you might say I'm a little ruffle crazy.  But here's the funny part - I have no ruffles in my house and few in my wardrobe.  Crazy right?  I don't know why that is, but I think it made me even more giddy over this last pillow.

images via design is mine
The pink, the ruffles, the paisley, the raw edges of the ruffles... sighhh. My girly side is loving everything about this pillow.The insert for this pillow is 18x18. So once again, I cut the front panel 19x19 allowing for half inch seam allowance. I cut the paisley fabric into two inch wide strips for the making of the ruffles.
Tip: Cut a small slit into your fabric and then rip the fabric by pulling each side of the fabric at the slits. This creates the raw edges as seen below and a very straight line.

Next, press the strips of fabric and then sew a basting stitch down the center of each strip, leaving your thread long at both the top and bottom.  Secure the threads at one end of the strip. (I like to place a straight pin at one end and wrap the thread with in a figure 8 pattern around the pin.)  Once the thread is secure at one end, take one of the threads at the other end, hold it tight and pull the fabric to create the ruffle.  This can require a bit of work to make sure the thread doesn't break and the fabric gathers evenly through-out the strip, but once you find your groove it moves along pretty quickly. Make sure the ruffles are the same length of the front pillow panel, pin the ruffles to secure them to the fabric panel and sew each strip. After the strips are all sewn in place you can remove your basting stitch from each ruffle by pulling the basting threads by hand.

Once the ruffles are all sewn into place and the basting threads removed, pin right sides of the front and back panels together and stitch closed. (I chose to do a two panel back for this pillow to allow for a pillow insert, but you can also stuff with poly-fill and close by hand.) I have to say, I love this pillow so much that I may have to make one for myself!  This one is off to Iowa for my sister's latest bedroom redo. It truly is better to give than receive, no?! xo