Elegant Essentials – Quilted Lumbar Pillow

I’m so excited to share my latest project, a quilted lumbar pillow using the new Elegant Essentials basics collection paired with Confetti Cotton™ Solids from Riley Blake Designs! I wanted to create a decorative lumbar pillow that feels timeless and inviting for the guest room in our new home, and works beautifully through every season.

Hi makers, it’s Kathleen Hauschild-Brown from Brown Haus Stitchery located in Ottawa, Ontario, and I’m so excited to be guest blogging and share this project with you today!

The Elegant Essentials collection by Jill Bosworth includes six delicate prints in both white and cream, each with a soft pearl accent. That subtle shimmer is such a lovely way to elevate a background fabric without overpowering a design.

For this pillow, I used my Homeward Star Block foundation paper piecing pattern, making three stars in the 8-inch size. This block is a fresh, modern take on the classic Ohio Star, with crisp angles and striking symmetry that give it a timeless, heirloom feel.

Fabric Selection & Yardage

Below are the fabrics I used, along with the yardage needed to create a quilted lumbar pillow sized for a 14″ x 36″ pillow form:

1 ¼ yards Elegant Essentials Small Floral White Pearl – Pillow front & star blocks

• Subcut
  • (1) WOF x 19″
  • (2) 39.5″ x 5″
  • (2) 5″ x 8.5″
  • (2) 3.5″ x 8.5″

Use the remaining fabric to assemble the stars.

1/2 yard Elegant Essentials Scatter Dot White Pearl – Envelope backing & star blocks

• Subcut:
  • (2) 21″ x 15″ for the backing

Use the remaining fabric to assemble the interior details of the stars.

• 1/2 yard Confetti Cotton™ Christmas Green – Binding & star block
• Fat eight Confetti Cotton™ Riley Navy – Star block
• Fat eight Confetti Cotton™ Dahlia Red – Star block

Once your pieces are cut and you’ve completed three Homeward Star Blocks in the 8-inch size (8.5″ unfinished), you can assemble the pillow front as shown below:

I layered batting between the pieced front and the WOF x 19″ piece, then quilted everything together using dense straight-line quilting.

After quilting, I trimmed the pillow front down to 15″ x 37″.

For the backing, I chose a simple envelope closure. I pressed the 15″ edge of each 21″ x 15″ backing piece over ¼”, then an additional 1″, and topstitched to create a clean finished edge. With wrong sides together, I clipped the backing pieces to the quilted pillow front and finished the pillow using binding made from 2¼” wide strips.

Once complete, I inserted a 14″ x 36″ pillow form, and the pillow was ready for the guest room!

I’m so happy with how quickly this project came together and how the pearlescent shimmer in the Elegant Essentials fabrics really catches the light and elevates the finished pillow. I can’t wait to see what you create with this beautiful collection!