Make it Modern Pillows – September 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!

August’s block had a fun 90’s vibe.

September’s block has alternating hidden arrows.

This year I’m using low volumes for the background. I went with Dainty Daisy On Cloud Vintage Pastels by Beverly McCullough for this one.

I love these warm colors!

It has a soft fall vibe!

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

This month’s pillow features Dainty Daisy by Beverly McCullough. The colors I used were Peony, Lipstick, Honey, Pumpkin, Mint, Grass, Alpine, and Jade.

There are soooo many nice colors!

Now let’s make a pillow!

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September 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).
• To avoid confusion, there is not FABRIC I.

Material Requirements

For the block (pillow top):

This pattern uses (1) BACKGROUND fabric [FABRIC A] and (8) ACCENT fabrics [FABRICS B-J]. 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:

• (4) 6″ squares

From ACCENT FABRICS B-J, cut:

• (2) 6″ squares [B1-J1]

Piecing Directions

1. Cut (1) A1 square diagonally in both directions to yield (4) QUARTER TRIANGLES.

2. Repeat STEP 1 for all (4) A1 squares. This will yield (16) QUARTER TRIANGLES.

3. Cut (1) B1 square in half diagonally to yield (2) HALF TRIANGLES.

4. Repeat STEP 3 for FABRICS B1-J1 for the (2) squares of each color as shown below. Of the (4) HALF TRIANGLES of each color, set (2) aside until later, use (1) for STEP 5, and discard (1) that will not be needed.

5. Cut (1) B1 square diagonally from STEP 4 in half as shown to yield (2) QUARTER TRIANGLES.

6. Repeat STEP 5 using (1) HALF TRIANGLE for FABRICS C-J to yield (2) QUARTER TRIANGLES for each color as shown below.

7. Lay out (1) FABRIC B QUARTER TRIANGLE, (1) FABRIC J QUARTER TRIANGLE, and (1) FABRIC A HALF TRIANGLE as shown below. Sew the (2) QUARTER TRIANGLES together into (1) HALF TRIANGLE with a scant 1/4″ seam and press.

8. Sew the (2) HALF TRIANGLES together with a scant 1/4″ seam and press. Trim the block to 4½” square. This is the MIXED TRIANGLE block.

💡 TIP 1: Using a scant seam allowance here helps to make sure that your block doesn’t end up too short.

💡 TIP 2: To help trim it correctly, keep the center point of the square at 2¼” from the edges.

9. Repeat STEP 8 to make a total of (16) MIXED TRIANGLE BLOCKS.

10. Lay out all (16) MIXED TRIANGLE BLOCKS into FOUR ROWS as shown below, noting the direction of the FABRIC A arrow. Sew the (4) blocks in each ROW together.

11. Sew all FOUR rows together and press the seams.

12. Your pillow top is now complete!

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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 OCTOBER with something funky for spooky season! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie