Alignment Optional Pillows

I’m still rolling with concept inspiration from my psychedelic baby block workshop and ended up with these fabulous pillows made with a block I’m calling Alignment Optional.

Back in September I thought I’d revisit a color way we used in Quilting Modern for the Shattered Quilt, replacing the Carolina Chambray with yarn dyed Essex as my light and Michael Miller Cotton Couture for the black.

I made some blocks, and well…they just didn’t look good.  I packed them into a zip-lock and added them to the bureau in the basement where I collect marinating ideas.  This approach is making the drawers a bit harder to open, but we all know the importance of play when it comes to creativity, which sometimes just means yielding your rotary cutter and making the cut.  So that’s exactly what I did.

Though it was fun to try two different straight-line quilting styles, when it comes to a pair so similar in design I’d like the quilting to be identical.  Problem is I’m not sure which design I like best.

These are only the second project I’ve personally quilted with a lot of solid black fabric.  When I did my first quilt with black I didn’t know about black batting and small fibers of the white batting became visible on the quilt top.  The term in quilting for this is ‘bearding’ and I won’t go into all the reasons it can happen, but the right color batting and a new sharp needle can generally prevent this issue.  Too bad I didn’t remember black batting for these pillows;)

Here’s an Instagram photo showing my starts of the Alignment Optional pillows at the top.  Sharing this hopefully gives you an idea of the secondary design multiple blocks would create, very similar to the Psychedelic Baby Block.  Though I was planning on making a coordinating pillow with the blocks at the bottom, they actually became a quilt.  I’m hoping to get some photos of it today.  And this time I used black batting;)

All finished off with my invisible zipper tutorial and this awesome Alexander Henry Ghastlies Clover.

Interested in creating some pillow tops yourself?  I have three dates listed for the Alignment Optional Pillows AND since I taught myself how to create coupon codes let’s celebrate with $10 off classes (sorry, not open studios) until the 24th with the code ‘meagain.’

I’m already envisioning my next pillows being fabulous in red and white for the season.

Happy Week Peeps;)