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Ontworpen en geweven door Deborah Bagley

Sunflower Pillow

Designed and woven by Deborah Bagley

Sunflowers are my favorite flower. Shortly after learning how to weave on my Zoom Loom pin loom, I knew I wanted to try to create one. The first step was to figure out how to fold the petals. I tried several different folds, and finally settled on the one shown here. I was also concerned with how to make a circle from squares for the center. I finally decided that folding the edges under would not be too bulky. A few rounds of French knots added just the kind of texture to the center I love.

The pillow itself is created separately, with the flower sewn on top. I pulled out all the greens I had from Lion Brand’s Vanna’s Choice to create a fun patchwork of color for the pillow. All-in-all, this pillow is a really convenient size for decorating a couch or bed, or wherever you want a sunny splash of color.

Project Specs

Finished size: 14-1/2" width x 14-1/2" length x 5-1/4" depth

Weave structure: plain weave

What You'll Need

Equipment

Zoom Loom
5" weaving needle
fork or comb for beating
tapestry needle

Materials

Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, 100% acrylic (or substitute any worsted weight yarn in yellow, brown, and three shades of green) 210 yds #1581 Mustard, 40 yds #126 Chocolate, 75 yds #171 Fern, 150 yds #172 Kelly Green, 75 yds #174 Olive
stuffing or pillow form
fabric marker for dark fabrics
piece of cardboard

Directions

Weaving

Plain weave 4 Chocolate, 8 Fern, 8 Olive, 16 Kelly Green, and 24 Mustard squares.

Assembly

Arrange the Fern, Olive, and Kelly Green squares as shown in the chart to make a 4 x 8 rectangle. Whip stitch them together on the wrong side. Weave in ends.
Fold the rectangle in half with right sides facing, to make a 4 x 4 square. Using Kelly Green, whip stitch two sides closed, leaving the remaining side open for stuffing. Turn right side out. Slide a piece of cardboard between the layers—this will make it easier to attach the flower on the front of the pillow.
For the sunflower center, use Chocolate yarn to whip stitch 4 Chocolate squares together on the wrong side, making a 2 x 2 square. Weave in ends.
Draw a circle with a 5” diameter on the back of the Chocolate square. Fold the corners and sides in along the line and tack in place. Weave in ends. Whip stitch this circle, right side up, to the front of the pillow at its center
For each flower petal, lay a Mustard square as shown, wrong side up, with the corners making a diamond. Fold the bottom corner up about 1". Fold the 2 bottom sides to the middle until the flat edges meet and sew these edges together. Sew through the bottom edge to keep the layers in place.
Whip stitch the bottom edges of 12 petals around the edge of the Chocolate circle. Whip stitch 12 more on top of the first set, offsetting the petals. Make sure to whip stitch all petals through the Chocolate layer, making them secure on the pillow cover. My petals are not tacked together anywhere except the bottom edges, so they can move freely on the pillow. Weave in ends. Using Chocolate, add French knots in concentric circles in the Chocolate section of the flower.
Stuff the pillow and invisibly sew the opening closed. Weave in ends.
Machine wash on gentle, tumble dry low.