Make it Modern Pillows – May 2025 Tutorial

It’s Jamie again from Sew Brainy Designs! It’s year 4 of my Make it Modern Pillows series! I’m so excited and I have some fun designs in store for this year! In case you missed 2022 or 2023 pillow fun, you can click the link below. Last year we started a fun Facebook Group so we can all sew along together!

April’s block had alternating mirror blocks.

May’s block has some fun retro rectangles.

This year I’m using low volumes for the background. I went with In Full Bloom from the Hush Hush 4 line by Heather Peterson for this one.

These colors give off a cool funky vibe!

And the little flowers are so fun!

I did a 1/2″ grid quilting with Aurifil 50wt. off-white thread for this fantastic texture!

This month’s pillow features Sparkler by Melissa Mortenson. The colors I used were Jade, Clover, Apricot, Baby Pink, Pumpkin, and Daisy.

Lots of pretty colors!

Now let’s make a pillow!

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MAY 2025 Pillow Tutorial

Pattern Notes

• Please read through all instructions before beginning.
• Seam allowances are 1/4″ unless specified.
• Press all seams open (or in preferred direction).

Material Requirements

For the block (pillow top):

This pattern uses (1) BACKGROUND fabric [FABRIC A] and (6) ACCENT fabrics [FABRICS B-G]. Below are the requirements to make ONE 18″ block.

For the pillow body:

• (1) 22-24″ square piece of muslin or other fabric (for quilting the top)
• (1) 22-24″ square piece of batting (for quilting the top)
• (2) 13½” × 18½” pieces of backing fabric (for the pillow envelope)
• (1) 18″-20″ pillow form (my favorite one to use is the FJÄDRAR from IKEA!). I always use a pillow form that is one size larger than my pillow case to make sure it’s extra full.

Cutting Directions

From BACKGROUND FABRIC A, cut:

• (6) 2″ × 3″ [A2]
• (6) 1¾” × 7″ [A3]
• (6) 1¼” × 7″ [A4]
• (6) 1¼” × 2″ [A1]

From ACCENT FABRICS B-G, cut:

• (1) 2″ × 9½” [B4/C4/D4/E4/F4/G4]
• (1) 1½” × 9½” [B5/C5/D5/E5/F5/G5]
• (1) 2″ × 3¾” [B1/C1/D1/E1/F1/G1]
• (1) 2″ × 4″ [B3/C3/D3/E3/F3/G3]
• (1) 1½” × 4″ [B2/C2/D2/E2/F2/G2]

Piecing Directions

1. Lay out (1) of each piece: A1, A2, A3, A4, and D1 into THREE rows as shown below. Sew A1 to the left side of D1 and the A2 to the right side. Press the seams.

2. Sew A3 to the top of the A1/D1/A2 and A4 to the bottom (as shown below). Press the seams.

3. Lay out the B2, B3, B4, and B5 pieces around the unit from STEP 2. Sew B2 to the left side of the unit and B3 to the right side. Press the seams.

4. Sew B2 to the left of the unit and B3 to the right side. Press the seams. This is the RECTANGLE BLOCK.

5. Repeat STEPS 1-4 to create (5) additional RECTANGLE BLOCKS.

6. Lay out all (6) RECTANGLE BLOCKS into THREE rows as shown below. Sew the TWO blocks in the row together. Press the seams.

7. Sew all THREE rows together. Press the seams.

8. Your pillow top is now complete!

9. Layer the completed block on top of the 22-24″ batting and muslin squares and quilt the pillow top as desired. When you are done, trim the block to 18½”.

Note – if you add dense quilting, your top may shrink a bit in size. Just trim it to the largest square that you can. You can trim the width of envelope backing fabric a bit in the next step if needed in order to match your actual top size.

10. Create a finished edge on the long side of each of the (2) 13½″ × 18½” pieces of envelope backing by folding 1/2″ of fabric over the wrong side TWICE. Stitch a seam near the edge to secure it.

11. With the square top facing up, layer the envelope pieces RST on top of it as shown below and sew a 3/8″ seam around the edge of the pillow top.

12. Trim the edges of the corners a bit to reduce bulk. Turn the pillow case inside out and insert your pillow form. Your pillow is now done! Enjoy your fun modern make!

I can’t wait to see all the beautiful pillows everyone makes! They can be very addicting! Be sure to share them on social media! #makeitmodernpillows #iloverileyblake #sewbrainydesigns.

If you check out my blog, I have some more color mockups and some freebie coloring pages you can download. Plus a sneak peek of a companion quilt pattern for this block that’s coming soon!

I’ll see you in June with a basketweave vibe! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie