by: Susan Beck of sewfeet.com
Making a cork pillow is a great way to bring natural materials into you home décor. This pillow has an accent panel that serves as a background for several wooden buttons. Finished size: 12”x 12”.
Scroll to the bottom to watch Susan walk you through the project step by step.
Supplies
2 pieces of cork fabric, 14” x 14” each
1 strip of RNK Cork Fabric 1” x 14”
Contrasting fabric,3 ½” x 14”
Floriani Medium Tear Away Stabilizer 4” x 14”
5 decorative buttons, 1”-1 ½” in diameter
Machine Settings
A Microtex needle, size80/12 needle is a good choice for stitching on cork fabric. The point is sharp, and easily penetrates the cork as you sew. I used Floriani 40 wt. embroidery thread in a color that blends with the cork.
Stitching the Panel
Fold¼” to the wrong side of each 14” edge and press. Position the panel in the center of one 14” square of the cork fabric. Place tear away stabilizer on the wrong side of the cork, behind the panel. Stitch along each side using a blanket stitch. I lengthened the stitch length and width to 5mm.I positioned the edge of the panel against the inside of the right toe of the foot, and then adjust the needle position to the right so that it sews the stitch along the edge. Add the 1” strip of cork down the center of the panel and using a straight stitch, sew along the long edges.
Button Embellishments
I have a small-ish collection of wooden buttons and used five of them as embellishment for the front of the pillow. I placed the center button in the center of the panel and then stitched it using the sewing machine. I usually use a button sew-on foot, which is small and didn’t work with the large buttons. So I used the open embroidery foot and it worked fine.
Pillow Construction
Place the front of the pillow and the back of the pillow right sides together, using clips to hold the edges together. Stitch the edges, using a ½” seam allowance, leaving a large opening on the lower edge. Trim the corners and turn the pillow to the right side.
Finishing the Pillow
Insert the pillow form. Turn the edges of the opening to the wrong side and clip the opening. Stitch the opening close to the edge.