Easter Bunny Blog Hop: Easter Egg Block Pillow

I’m so happy to be part of the Easter Bunny Blog Hop this week.  All week long Easter-themed patterns are being shared by some really fabulous sewing bloggers.   And best of all?  All the patterns are free.  And really, there are some seriously fun ideas!

Here is the full week’s line-up

Monday, 3/4 Melissa from Lilac Lane with a patchwork bunny

Tuesday, 3/5 Nanette from Freda's Hive with Easter Egg Cups Table Runner
Caroline from Sew Can She with Bunny Treat Bag

Wednesday, 3/6 Sabra from Sew a Straight Line with a Patchwork Easter Egg Pillow
Clara from Clover and Violet with an Easter Basket/ lunch bag

Thursday, 3/7 Megan from Quilt Story with a bunny shirt and skirt
Jenny from Sew Pretty Dresses with a quiet book

Friday 3/8 Melissa from Happy Quilting with an Easter bunting
Robin from Create Kids Couture with a Girl's Patchwork Skirt and
Coordinating 18" Doll Pattern

All of us are sharing spring-time projects centered around Riley Blake’s Happy Ever After Stacker Pack, which were provided for us.  The pack contains 21 5” squares of fabric.  But, of course, you can use any fabric of your choice to make your own projects with the patterns being shared. 

So what do I have for you?  Well, since I’m such an amazing quilter (*insert sarcasm font here*), I made up an Easter Egg Block using my Stackers, and then used my blocks to make a fun little throw pillow. 



The eggs feature stripes of printed fabrics across their middles, mimicking Easter eggs.  Fun, right?  I made my blocks into a pillow cover, but you can use your egg blocks to make whatever blocky goodness you need for Easter, or other decorated-egg occasions. I totally started to type “egg-asions”,   but I’m afraid once I start with the puns, there would be no turning back. 

So. 

Easter Egg Block Pillow, let’s make one!

 

First, you’ll need the block pattern pieces from HERE   They look like this.

 

Cut the top, bottom and one center out of white, or your “egg” color.
Cut two centers whatever you want your “decorated” strip fabric(s)
Cut two top corners and two bottom corners out of a contrasting fabric
Cut four 5” * 1” strips for block sashing out of another contrasting fabric

Piece your egg by sewing: egg top to colored strip, colored strip to egg center, egg center to colored strip, colored strip to egg bottom.

Press seams.  You should have this little egg friend.


There will be corners over hanging, clip those.


Now take your corner pieces and sew the top corners to the top sides of the egg, and the bottom corners to the bottom sides of the egg


Press seams.  You’ll have overhang on all sides. 

Clip those and square your egg to 5” tall by 4.5” wide

Sew the 5” strips to the sides first,


Then to the top and bottom.


Repeat for however many egg blocks you need for your project.  For my pillow cover, I went with three egg blocks.


Sew the egg blocks together, side by side.


Add sashing to top and sides, using your pillow form as a gauge of how much sashing you need.



Baste ric-rac to the raw edges on the right side of the sashing, all around.
This will be your pillow top.


For the pillow back, take nine Stacker squares and arrange in a desirable pattern.  Sew in strips of three, side by side.  DO NOT sew the strips together.  So you have three strips of three squares each.



Cut each strip in half along the length, giving you six 2.5” strips


Arrange your strips into a pattern you like.  For my pillow, I only needed five of the strips.


Add sashing, again using your pillow form to determine width and length of sashing.


That glaring white box in the center needed something, so I hand-stitched “Easter 2013” as sloppily as I possibly could.  If you want to stitch something, I’d recommend tracing it onto the fabric first.  Learn from my mistakes.


Add an invisible zipper to the sides of the top and the back covers.


Right sides together, with zipper open half-way, sew along the three raw edges.  Clip corners.


Turn through open zipper.

 

Shove a pillow form in, and you’re done!

Or use your egg blocks to make some other egg-ceptional holiday décor!
Sorry.


Don’t forget to check out all the other Easter and spring-based patterns this week.

Monday, 3/4 Melissa from Lilac Lane with a patchwork bunny

Tuesday, 3/5 Nanette from Freda's Hive with Easter Egg Cups Table Runner
Caroline from Sew Can She with Bunny Treat Bag

Wednesday, 3/6 Sabra from Sew a Straight Line with a Patchwork Easter Egg Pillow
Clara from Clover and Violet with an Easter Basket/ lunch bag

Thursday, 3/7 Megan from Quilt Story with a bunny shirt and skirt
Jenny from Sew Pretty Dresses with a quiet book

Friday 3/8 Melissa from Happy Quilting with an Easter bunting
Robin from Create Kids Couture with a Girl's Patchwork Skirt and
Coordinating 18" Doll Pattern

Also, Melissa Stramel is offering a coupon to save 25% from her Lilac Lane store !  Use code: EASTERBUNNY. A minimum purchase of $12 is required.