Brighter pillows

I'm not a huge fan of winter and I really need something bright and cheerful. Since our couch pillows have been chewed on by the dog, wadded for comfort, used in pillow fights, and have a few holes in them seen MUCH better days, I decided to use the quirky and failed quilt pieces to add some color.

Wonky quilt pillow on left, "Faux" clamshell on right

First one was simply a block of the failed quilt. Simple, fast, and while not perfect, it adds the splash of color I wanted craved. 



After seeing a pillow made from Clamshell quilt pieces, by Rachael at Stitched in Color I wanted to try one myself. . I didn't have the Clamshell pattern (which would have helped) and I don't live close enough to afford the luxury of attending Rachel's class, but I used a circle pattern instead. It made the placement more tricky, but it worked for the moment.

Circles ("faux" clamshell) pillow

 I cheated when I arranged my "shells" by using a touch of fabric glue to hold them in place until I could get them sewn down. The plain background fabric is some sturdy duck-cloth type material I found in my stash. I hope it holds up better than the flimsy silky material they used on the bought pillows these replaced!

It's been so cold and rainy lately and my hands have been achy, so the thought of hand stitching these down was not even possibility.  I used a "special" stitch on my sewing machine and went around each exposed shell, starting at the bottom and working up. Didn't take me but 30 minutes, but maybe next time I can do hand stitching.It's not bad for an experiment and having no directions and Only thought it was nice.  Next time, I will get a pattern for the Clamshell! 

Funny thing is Miss "I" looked at it and said "Um,  what happened to the rest of the pillow.  It's missing."   She was NOT impressed.