Make it Modern Pillows – November 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!

October’s block had alternating rectangles.

November’s block has alternating plus signs.

This year I’m using low volumes for the background. I went with Seeing Stars by Amber Johnson from Hush Hush 4 for this one.

These aren’t my normal colors, but I love a moody fall vibe!

Small strips is a good way to use bold patterns!

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

This month’s pillow features mixed prints from Bee Dots and Bee Plaids by the Lori Holt.

There are so many fun fabrics!

Now let’s make a pillow!

---

November 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 no FABRIC I.

Material Requirements

For the block (pillow top):

This pattern uses (1) BACKGROUND fabric [FABRIC A] and (9) ACCENT fabrics [FABRICS B-K]. 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:

– Cut (1) 2” × WOF strip, subcut:

• (16) 2” × squares [A1]

– Cut (4) 1½” × WOF strips, subcut:

• (4) 1½” × 6½″ [A3]
• (28) 1½” × 3″ [A2]
• (20) 1½” × 2″ [A4]

From ACCENT FABRICS B-J, cut:

• (4) 2” square [B1-G1]
• (1) 1½” × 6½″ [B3-G3]
• (2) 1½” × 3″ [B2-G2]

From ACCENT FABRICS G-K, cut:

• (4) 1½” × 3″ [G2-K2]
• (4) 1½” × 2″ [G4-K4]

Piecing Directions

1. Lay out (1) A3, (1) A4, and (1) B1 as shown below. Sew the B1 and A4 together and press the seams.

2. Sew (1) A3 on the bottom of the previous unit and press the seams. This is a CORNER UNIT. Make a total of 4.

3. Lay out (2) CORNER UNITS and (1) B2 as shown below. Sew all 3 pieces together and press the seams. This is a HALF UNIT. Make a total of 2.

4. Lay out (2) HALF UNITS and (1) B3 as shown below. Sew all 3 pieces together on the long sides and press the seams. This is the BLOCK A unit.

5. Repeat STEPS 1-4 for FABRICS D, F, H, and K to a total of (5) BLOCK A units. Set these aside for STEP 11.

6. Lay out (1) A1, (1) G2, and (1) G4 as shown below. Sew the A1 and G4 together and press the seams.

7. Sew (1) G2 on the bottom of the previous unit and press the seams. This is a CORNER UNIT. Make a total of 4.

8. Lay out (2) CORNER UNITS and (1) A2 as shown below. Sew all 3 pieces together and press the seams. This is a HALF UNIT. Make a total of 2.

9. Lay out (2) HALF UNITS and (1) A3 as shown below. Sew all 3 pieces together on the long sides and press the seams. This is the BLOCK B unit.

10. Repeat STEPS 6-9 for FABRICS E, G, and J to make a total of (4) BLOCK B units.

11. Lay out the (5) A BLOCK units and (4) B BLOCK units as shown below. Sew the 3 blocks in each row together and press the seams.

12. Sew the 3 rows together and press the seams.

13. Your pillow top is now complete!

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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 December with a festive holiday design! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie