Designer Inspired Velvet Pillow

Brother Sews Ambassador
Some crafting projects around the house don’t require an extensive timeline or huge budget. There are small, inexpensive projects that can be done to elevate your home and create an impactful moment. Doing the DIY project yourself allows you to customize the outcome in the way that fits your personal style. We have a vintage velvet couch in our home that I found at a local thrift store for only $10. When we bought it, it looked extremely tattered and was on its last leg. We tore apart the fabric and cushions and refurbished it into the blue velvet couch we have today. It’s absolutely beautiful! This couch is most definitely beautiful enough to stand alone, but when I came across some designer velvet pillows online, I thought it would pair really well with the couch. So, I decided to make them. I love the idea of embroidery on a luxe fabric like velvet. It adds an elevated feel to the final project. As a Brother Ambassador, I love being able to share my love for Brother sewing machines. I use my machines to create my handmade wardrobe as well as creative projects around my home. Sewing has a stigma of being a craft that our grandparents would enjoy. I’m here to tell you that sewing isn’t for your grandmothers anymore. I like to share sewing from a millennial’s point of view; recreating designer projects for less. With social media, inspiration is all around us. Being able to sew what inspires me is something I truly enjoy. Sewing allows me to have access to the things I want without breaking the bank.

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Materials: Brother Stellaire Innov-is Sewing Machine
Embroidered Thread in Various Colors Large Square Embroidery Hoop Tiger Embroidery File (6 in.) ½ Yard Velvet Fabric 1.5 Yards Braided Trim ½ Yard Brother SA5906 Water Soluble Embroidery Stabilizer
Brother SA5815 Adhesive Tear Away Stabilizer
15” x 11” Pillow Insert   Note: You can purchase your embroidery file from iBroidery.com or Etsy* as there are many available options. *The embroidery file used for this project is from Etsy, and Brother International Corporation makes no representations or warranties regarding this product.

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Instructions:

1. 1. Take your Brother SA5906 Water Soluble Stabilizer and lay it directly on top of your velvet fabric. Take both and hoop it into your embroidery hoop. Make sure both the stabilizer and fabric are pulled taut inside the hoop. The stabilizer allows your machine to embroider on top of the fabric without the threads getting lost inside the texture of the velvet. Without it, you would not be able to make out the design.
   2. Flip the entire hoop upside down and attach the Brother SA5815 Adhesive Tear Away Stabilizer. Be sure to press the stabilizer onto the fabric with your hands, making sure that it stays in place. This stabilizer is important because it gives the fabric and design more stability. It helps the design hold its shape without tugging on and distorting the quality of the delicate velvet fabric.
   3. Once the hoop is set up, place it inside your sewing machine. Set your machine up for embroidery and start. Keep an eye on your machine as it stitches to make sure that your machine doesn’t run out of thread as it stitches.
   4. When your embroidery design is complete, remove it from your home sewing machine. Tear away the Brother Water Soluble Stabilizer that was on top of the velvet fabric and tear away the Adhesive Tear Away Stabilizer that was underneath. This should be an easy process.
   5. With the tiger centered on the fabric, cut the velvet fabric in the following dimensions: 15.5” x 11.5”. Cut two.
   6. Lay your fabric with the tiger embroidery facing up, pin the braided trim along the outer edge of the front of your pillow making sure the braid is facing the center of your pillow.  It may be difficult to stitch the trim perfectly around the corners of your fabric, so be sure to curve around each corner.
   7. Stitch the braided trim in place by sewing as close to the braid as possible. Be sure to remove the sewing pins as you sew along. When you get to the end of your trim, fold it towards the center of your fabric to prevent the ends from showing on the outside of your pillow.
   8. Take the back side of your pillowcase, the second velvet fabric you cut previously, lay it directly on top of the first. Make sure the right side of the velvet fabric are facing each other. (The wrong sides of the velvet fabrics should be facing the outside). Pin in place.
   9. Sew around the outer edge of your pillow using the braided trim as a guide. Leave 6 inches unsewn on the bottom edge of the pillow.
   10. Turn the pillow right side out. Push out all four corners of your custom pillow with a blunt tool being careful not to poke a hole through your fabric. Your design should now be on the outside of your pillow.
   11. Folding your pillow insert in half tightly, place it inside of your pillowcase.
   12. Fold the back edge of your unsewn fabric to the inside about a ½ inch. Top stitch in place.
2. Alternate Route: If you don’t own an embroidery machine, no worries! You can purchase patches online and sew them onto your fabric. If you are going this route, be sure to use some hem tape and a pressing cloth to adhere the patch onto the fabric. The pressing cloth will protect your fabric from being scorched.