Make it Modern Pillows – July 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!

June’s block had some patriotic long half hexies!

July’s block has some fun half-square-triangles!

For my low volume background, I went with the Sunny Days print from Hush Hush 5 by Tara Reed for this one.

I love these bright polka dots, especially for summer!

The little suns in the background are so cute!

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

This month’s pillow features the Polka Pop Batik Basics. Lots of great colors in this collection!

Now let’s make a pillow!

---

July 2026 Pillow Tutorial

Pattern Notes

• Please read through all instructions before beginning.
• Seam allowances are 1/4″ unless specified.
• HST = Half-Square-Triangle
• Press all seams open (or in preferred direction).
• Starch fabrics before cutting since you will end up with a bias edge on the HSTs.

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 FABRICS A, B, and C, cut:

• (2) 8″ squares [A1/B1/C1]

From ACCENT FABRICS D and E, cut:

• (1) 8″ square [D1/E1]

Piecing Directions

1. You will be making HSTs using the 4-at-a-time method. Pair (1) A1 and (1) B1 square RST together as shown below. Stitch 1/4″ away from the edge of the square all the way around. Cut the square diagonally from corner to corner in both directions (following the red lines) to yield (4) HSTs. Press the seams and trim each to 5″ square.

2. Repeat STEP 1 to create (12) additional HSTs in the combinations below.

3. Lay out all (16) HSTs as shown below into FOUR ROWS. Sew the (4) pieces in each row together and press the seams.

4. Sew all FOUR ROWS together and press the seams.

5. Your pillow top is now complete!

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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 August with more summer fun! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie