Make it Modern Pillows – May 2026 Tutorial

It’s Jamie again from Sew Brainy Designs! It’s year 5 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 the previous pillow fun, you can click the links below. We also have a fun Facebook Group so we can all sew along together!

April’s block had some rainy rainbows.

May’s block has some mid mod squares!

For my low volume background, I went with the White Sparkler by Melissa Mortenson for this one.

I love these happy spring colors!

This Sparkler background is super versatile. It definitly gives these squares a pop!

I used the Malachite pantograph by Patricia Ritter on my longarm for this fantastic texture!

This month’s pillow features the Shades basic line by the RBD Designers. So many great colors!

Now let’s make a pillow!

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May 2026 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 (4) ACCENT fabrics [FABRICS B-E]. 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:

(1) 2” × WOF strips, subcut:

• (8) 2” × 1½″ [A1]
• (8) 1” × 3½″ [A3]

(1) 1½” × WOF strips, subcut:

• (2) 1½” × 18½″ [A5]
• (8) 1½” × 2½″ [A2]

From ACCENT FABRIC B, C, D, and E, cut:

• (1) 4½″ square [B4/C4/D4/E4]
• (1) 3½″ square [B3/C3/D3/E3]
• (1) 2½″ square [B2/C2/D2/E2]
• (1) 1½″ square [B1/C1/D1/E1]

Piecing Directions

1. Lay out (2) A1 and (1) B1 as shown below. Sew together vertically and press the seams. This is the SMALL BLOCK UNIT.

2. Repeat STEP 1 with FABRICS C-E to create (3) additional SMALL BLOCK UNITS.

3. Lay out (2) A2 and (1) B2 as shown below. Sew together vertically and press the seams. This is the MEDIUM BLOCK UNIT.

4. Repeat STEP 3 with FABRICS C-E to create (3) additional MEDIUM BLOCK UNITS.

5. Lay out (2) A3 and (1) B3 as shown below. Sew together vertically and press the seams. This is the LARGE BLOCK UNIT.

6. Repeat STEP 5 with FABRICS C-E to create (3) additional LARGE BLOCK UNITS.

7. Lay out (4) A4 rectangles and (1) B4 square along with the SMALL, MEDIUM, and LARGE BLOCK UNITS as shown below. Sew all EIGHT pieces together horizontally and press the seams. This is the SQUARE STRIP.

8. Repeat STEP 8 with FABRICS C-E to make (3) additional SQUARE STRIPS.

Note: the FABRIC C and E SQUARE STRIPS will be rotated 180 degrees in the final layout.

9. Lay out (2) A5 strips and all (4) SQUARE STRIPS out as shown below. Sew together on the long ends and press the seams.

10. Your pillow top is now complete!

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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 some patriotic fun! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie