Buttoned up Jacquard Linen Pillow Tutorial

Jacquards tend to have a very luxurious feel to them and they don’t necessarily fit into every interior, but somehow this fabric was simply irresistible. Subtle and quietly fabulous. I decided to make another envelope pillow with it, but I wanted to add something extra. Buttons were my next thought- but how to secure them? And then I remembered the Sewing Bee series currently airing on BBC, (hello sewing world, I never knew you existed) and as their first task the contestants needed to make a hand sewn button loop. Brilliant- but what should it look like? A quick browse on google brought me to a great solution. A chain stitch which you compose with your hands rather than the needle. Beautiful, minimal and stylish, perfect as an element to compliment your cushion. Another practical tip I have discovered this week is making a pattern for my pillow. I know its simple and perhaps unnecessary- but I have been struggling severely with cutting up the simple rectangles without getting some kind of wrong angles in there. A paper pattern pinned to the fabric did the trick. If you make pillows regularly, I highly recommend. As to the buttons, I have been carrying these beauties around for about 20 years from one place to the next, they belonged to my grandmother and are very dear to me. They have a really old school feel to them which compliments the jacquard fabric.

Difficulty:’ Beginner

Time:’ 45 minutes

Materials:’ 

1 yard of IL002 Jacquard  (you will have enough to make 2 18″ pillows)

Matching Thread

2 Contrasting Buttons

Sewing machine

1. Make envelope pillow following this tutorial.

2. Lay your pillow down with the back facing you. Depending on how big your pillow cover is, and how big your buttons are, you need to estimate a good space between the two buttons. My pillow is 18″ wide, I stepped away 5 inches on each side to place each button.

3. Thread your needle and make a double knot at the end. You need quite a long thread, in order to make the stitch long enough to go around your button and make a loop. Make a small stitch at 4.5″ away from edge of cushion cover just on the inside of the envelope panel.

4. Secure it by making another stitch straight over it.

5. Make a third stitch but this time don’t pull all the thread through, leave a loop hanging on the right side as shown.

6. Forget about the needle for this bit, all the action will be happening between your fingers. Take that loop between your thumb and forefinger of your right hand (I’m right handed).

7. Grab the thread with needle on the end with your middle finger of the right hand and slide it through the loop to the right. Pull both ends apart so that the knot slides down back to the fabric. This will create the first knot. Slide the needle bit back up to the left and repeat. You will see a chain pattern developing.

8. Keep going until you think its long enough to go around your button and back to the edge of the cushion panel. Place your button and check whether the length is long enough. Once happy slide the needle bit of the thread through the loop to the right and pull. This will secure your chain stitch. You can now sew this end of the stitch back to the cushion edge. Make sure to step about an inch to the right.

Done. Enjoy!