Oh, Patty they are stupendous and beautiful and awesome.
MARSHA
Every great once in a while I make commissioned pieces and more often than not, those commissions involve using clothes, ties or other textiles from someone who passed away.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be trusted to create a keepsake for people using treasured items but I’d be remiss not to share that it can also be a little nerve wracking! There’s a finite amount of material so it’s crucial that I pay attention and there is little to no room for error.
Recently I was asked to make two pillows using neck ties. Fun fact: all the ties had fish on them! Love it. I mean, could they BE any cuter?!
Originally I wanted to have pieces from the red and blue ties in each pillow but the pillows looked like an American flag and lacked any umph. I sat on them a while the decided to pivot.
I made one red pillow and one blue pillow. I used neutral fabrics for the Flying Geese backgrounds so the ties would shine.
The ties were all silk or a silk blend and were so easy to work with. I ironed a piece of lightweight fusible interfacing on the back of each tie before cutting out the pieces. Each 18” pillow has an invisible zipper along the bottom – a dainty closure that won’t distract from the pillow.
Fun fact: I used not one, not two but FOUR (yes, four) feet for this zipper.
I added a strip of fabric to the bottom of each pillow panel and sewed the zipper onto that. The seam allowance for the zipper is larger than the seam allowance for the front and back pillow covers and I didn’t want to encroach on the pillow design. I pinked the excess fabric to minimize bulk.
Leftover material from the ties, along with a strip of a coordinating red and blue Asian fabric, rounded out each back to create the backs
I’m just in love with these! They highlight the ties but hold their own as keepsakes for adult children who can appreciate them.
When I emailed my client that the pillows were finished she replied saying Oh, Patty they are stupendous and beautiful and awesome.
That’s the best thing Marsha could say to me and I’m so glad she likes them.