Paris Markets Pillow

I have just finished my pillow talk pillow and it has been packaged and posted along with some goodies to its mystery recipient.

I have enjoyed the journey on this pillow although taking pics in gloomy light has been tough so I have had to employ electric light and a little photo editing so you can the prints and colours.

I like to challenge myself in swaps like this one which are of such a ridiculously high standard and the construction was all about the inset seam: 8 in each block, 4 blocks and then 4 around the centre square so 36 in total.  I found the block in this 163 Patchwork (details in the link).

The Yuwa Paris map print was the inspiration for this pillow.  I don't know the name of this block but it reminded me of pathways.  I imagined my swap partner, French newspaper in hand, wandering the streets of Paris, starting in a central square...

and walking through shops and markets picking up treasures along the way, a little kitchenalia here, 

a decorative item pour la maison...

a coffee pot...

and of course, les boutons!

I kept the quilting light and simple, and used the indispensable fusible fleece, Vilene H640 which is a must for pillow making, it gives softness and structure and can cope with zips and binding without being too bulky.  I get through a lot of this stuff, I cannot recommend it more highly!

Straight-line quilting, vibrant Liberty Bloomsbury prints and an inset zip for the back.

Vintage diagonal check for the binding, the look of bias without none of the tricky cutting.  My swap partner has been a pleasure to sew for, easy preferences and lots of creative ideas.   Bringing together all those fabric scraps, new and old, gifts and swaps and weaving a narrative together has to be my favourite creative process.  This pillow is 20 x 20" and is winging its way to a new home!