Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects Read Online Free PDF

other and then to the other strips to make one long ruffle. Press each seam allowance open. ( FIGURE 3 )
    Step 4. Make the ruffle.
    a. First, fold the long ruffle strip in half lengthwise with Right sides together and pin in place. Stitch a 1 / 2 ″ seam down both short ends and along the long side raw edge, leaving a 10″ opening. Then, trim all 4 corners in the seam allowance, making sure not to clip the stitching. ( FIGURE 4A )
    b. Next, turn the ruffle strip Right side out, using a turning tool to push out the corners. Then, fold the seam allowances under 1 / 2 ″ at the opening and press.
    ROUND RUFFLE PILLOW - FIGURE 3

    ROUND RUFFLE PILLOW - FIGURE 4A

    ROUND RUFFLE PILLOW - FIGURE 4C

    ROUND RUFFLE PILLOW - FIGURE 5

    ROUND RUFFLE PILLOW - FIGURE 6

    c. To gather the ruffle, place the button/carpet thread on top of your fabric, 1 / 4 ″ in from the long seamed edge of the ruffle, leaving about 8″ to 10″ extra on the end of the ruffle strip. Then, with a wide zigzag stitch, stitch back and forth across the heavy thread, along the long seamed edge of the ruffle strip, backstitching at each end. The zigzag stitching makes a casing over the thread. Be careful not to stitch through the heavy thread; otherwise you won’t be able to pull the thread to gather the ruffle. ( FIGURE 4C )
    d. Pull the button/carpet thread on each end of the strip, gathering in the ruffle strip tight, and moving the gathers in toward the center of the strip.
    e. Then, to tie off the ends of the gathering thread in order to keep the gathering from loosening up, place a straight pin at the end of the ruffle. Taking the heavy thread used to gather the ruffle, loop it around the ends of the straight pin in a figure 8 pattern (up and around the top of the straight pin and down and across the bottom part of the pin). Do this a number of times to hold the gathering in place. Repeat this step to tie off the other end of the gathering thread on the other end of the ruffle. Keep the straight pins in place until after you stitch the ruffle to the pillow top.
    Step 5. Make the rosette for the center of the pillow.
    Repeat steps 4a through 4d. To form the rosette, coil the gathered strip for the rosette in a continuous circle, slip stitching * by hand at the bottom of the base as you go to keep the base of the rosette from uncoiling. ( FIGURE 5 )
    * See page 171 for an explanation of slip stitching.
    Step 6. Attach the ruffle and rosette to the pillow.
    a. On the Right side of the front pillow panel, place your rosette in the center of the panel and pin it in place. Using your chalk pencil, draw a circle around the base of the rosette to leave room for it when attaching the ruffle. Remove the rosette.
    b. Then, starting 5 1 / 2 ″ in from the outside raw edge, take the gathered ruffle and pin it onto the front pillow panel in a continuous circle, slowly working the ruffle toward the center of the pillow. Once you pin the ruffle around the pillow in one complete turn, stop pinning and machine stitch the first row of ruffle in place. Then, continue pinning the ruffle in a continuous spiral shape, stopping and sewing each time you complete one turn around the panel. You can vary the tightness of the ruffle by taking tucks in the ruffle or overlapping it as you go. Remove any pins that you used to tie off the gathering stitches on the ruffles and trim away the long ends of the gathering threads.
    c. Then, place the rosette in the center of the pillow again and slip stitch the rosette to the pillow top by hand completely around the base of the rosette. ( FIGURE 6 )
    Step 7. Attach the front and back pillow panels together.
    a. First, fold the ruffle in on the front pillow panel so you don’t catch the ruffle in your stitching. Then place the pillow panels with Right sides together and pin them in place. Stitch a 1 / 2 ″ seam around the pillow panels, leaving a 10″ opening to turn the pillow Right side out.
    b. Now, turn the pillow cover Right side out