Make it Modern Pillows – September 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!

August’s block had a retro beach towel vibe.

September’s block is a modern checker board!

For my low volume background, I went with the When Skies are Grey print by Jill Finley from the Hush Hush 5 collection.

These colors are really good together and I especially love the black and white!

And the clouds definitely give it a moody vibe.

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

This month’s pillow features the Sparkler Basics by Melissa Mortenson. Lots of great colors in this collection!

Now let’s make a pillow!

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September 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 (7) ACCENT fabrics [FABRICS B-H]. 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 FABRIC A, cut:

(2) 2½″ × WOF strip, subcut:

• (6) 2½″ × 11″ rectangles [A1]

From FABRIC B, cut:

(2) 2½″ × WOF strip, subcut:

• (6) 2½″ × 11″ rectangles [A1]

From ACCENT FABRICS C, D, E, F, G and H, cut:

(1) 2½″ × 11″ rectangles [C1/D1/E1/F1/G1/H1]

Piecing Directions

1. You will be utilizing strip piecing for the checkered sections. Lay out (1) A1, (1) B1, and (1) C1 into THREE rows as shown below. Sew the rows together on the long sides and press the seams.

2. Cut the new unit into (3) 3½″ wide strips.

3. Repeat STEPS 1-2 to create additional STRIP SETS in the combinations below.

4. Lay out the STRIP SETS into SIX columns as shown below, making sure the orientation of each strip piece is correct. Sew together on the short sides to make one LONG STRIP for each column and press the seams.

5. Sew all SIX long strips together as shown below and press the seams.

6. Your pillow top is now complete!

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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 some spooky fun! Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook Group!

Until later, happy quilting!

Jamie