Which comes first…?

by Nicole

…the quilt or the pillow?

Usually it’s the quilt, but after cutting all the pieces for my daughter’s I-spy quilt, the scraps were sitting on my table, screaming for attention.

So I gave them a little Mama Love.

I used the paper bag technique and pulled the scraps out one at a time and sewed them together. With this improvisational technique, I ended up with this pillow.

I-spy pillow

I’m loving this improv I-spy pillow! Some of the pieces are ones that didn’t make the cut for the quilt for one reason or another. Maybe they weren’t the right size, maybe some of the image would have been cut off, or maybe it was the wrong color. But for the pillow, anything went!

My daughter has a thing for princesses. When I discovered the girlfriends collection by Anne Kelle, I had to have it! I am putting a few of them in the quilt, but this little princess came from the stash that Donna sent me.

I-spy pillow_princess

I love how many teeny details are in this pillow. Can you spy the blue car or the anchor? How about the taxicab, a tribute to my hometown, NYC?

I-spy pillow_anchor

Donna also sent me this piece with the little girls. It’s from one of my favorite collections, Sarah Jane’s Children at Play.

I-spy pillow_girls

I put in a zipper in the back instead of my usual envelope backing. It was easy as a 9-patch! I may never go back to the envelope.

I-spy pillow_zipper

So now that the pillow is done, maybe I should finish the quilt, eh?!?

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts!

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26 comments

Debbie October 5, 2013 - 2:06 am

haha. oh yeah, the QUILT! But the pillow – absolutely daring!! The paper bag technique obviously can work really well!

Lisa in Port Hope October 5, 2013 - 2:41 am

Beautiful! I love the way you finished the edges–is that just a binding, like doing a quilt?

wombatquilts.com October 5, 2013 - 2:44 am

Seriously fabulous. LOVE the fussy cutting.

Mary Marcotte October 5, 2013 - 2:45 am

It looks like you fussy cut most of the pieces. Definitely the paper bag works! I love this cute little pillow!

Valerie Reynolds October 5, 2013 - 3:11 am

Thanks for stopping by my blog…had to check yours out. Love your work…I'm a new follower! (Always good to meet new bloggers!) I LOVE the Children at Play fabric…wrote it down and am going to check it out!

Christine S October 5, 2013 - 3:23 am

Love it!

Megan October 5, 2013 - 3:24 am

How perfect! I really like that dusky rose colour and of course all those tiny details are gorgeous.

DaisyLiz October 5, 2013 - 4:21 am

GREAT pillow!

Sarah @ mila+cuatro October 5, 2013 - 5:19 am

"So I gave them a little Mama Love" – love it. I find your improv piecing so inspirational, Nicole, the pillow looks fantastic.

Liz October 5, 2013 - 8:56 am

I love me a pillow – quick and satisfying. And a quilt without a pillow just doesn't look right. Yours is so cute – I can't wait to see the finished quilt too!

quiltswithpersonality October 5, 2013 - 8:57 am

Such a cute pillow Nicole. … I am sure she will love the quilt!

Lauren Deel October 5, 2013 - 11:37 am

Love this! Can't wait to see the quilt!

Kathy@KayakQuilting October 5, 2013 - 11:50 am

Oh my! The fabrics in this pillow are fantastic (love the little princess!)…I can't wait to see the quilt! I like zippers in my pillow covers as well, I think the pillow holds together a little better (particularly one that is going to be used and loved like your daughters!).

Needled Mom October 5, 2013 - 1:45 pm

That is wonderful and so girly!

doodlebugmom October 5, 2013 - 3:24 pm

so sweet, I love it 🙂

AmandaK@whatthebobbin October 5, 2013 - 4:11 pm

Love this. What a great way to use those small fussy bits!

Donna October 5, 2013 - 4:44 pm

Super cute pillow! I love everything about it – the randomness, the quilting, the zipper. Maybe I'll get brave enough to try the paper bag technique some time.

Paige October 5, 2013 - 5:09 pm

Super cute! One day I will get over my zipper aversion because this looks so professional!

Shauna October 5, 2013 - 6:33 pm

Very sweet! Puts a smile on my face! I will have to tackle putting in a zipper one of these days. Is it really as easy as everyone says?

pandchintz October 6, 2013 - 1:41 pm

What a gorgeous pillow. So much to discover in the fabrics and I love that little princess – she's so sweet!! Yes, definitely time to finish the quilt, Nicole!

LYNN October 6, 2013 - 6:03 pm

Super cute!

April October 6, 2013 - 10:15 pm

Love your pillow!! I use zipper closure for the backs too. It's so professional looking and easy! Yours is so very pretty.

Heidi Staples October 7, 2013 - 2:14 am

So adorable! I really need to try a zipper closure on a pillow one of these days!

PeggyinNO October 10, 2013 - 2:59 pm

What a great "I Spy" pillow!! So many great prints! LOVE the zipper back! Can't wait to see the quilt!

Katy Cameron October 13, 2013 - 10:29 am

Very cute :o)

teachme2sew October 20, 2013 - 5:23 am

Beautiful !!!!

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