Make a Pieced Pillow Cover for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is a time to honor the women who care about and have cared for us, regardless of our biological connections. I lost my mom last year, just a couple of days after Mother’s Day. But an elderly neighbor has quickly become my “bonus mom.” JoAnn checks in on me as often as I check in on her—and she always asks about my three grown children, whom she has watched grow for the 28(!) years we’ve lived across the street from one another.

JoAnn celebrating her 90th birthday with a surprise party from Lavon!

My own mom taught me to sew when I was about 12 years old. My first project was pretty ambitious: a pair of shorts with pleats, a zipper and button closure, and cuffed legs! I’ve sewn exactly one other piece of clothing since then, a dress that fit fine if I stood stock-still; otherwise, the bodice was too tight for any functional movements. I eventually discovered quilting, and that’s where my sewing skills settled in. I love the nutty practice of cutting up perfectly good fabric and sewing it to other fabric!

This year, I decided to sew a pieced pillow cover as a Mother’s Day gift for my neighbor JoAnn. I created an easy tulip flower pattern that mainly uses square blocks and half-square triangles. I hope you enjoy creating your own pieced pillow cover (or quilted wall hanging, if you prefer) for your own mother or “bonus mom.”

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Materials

• Quilting cotton scraps, cut to the following sizes: * 3 white squares, 3" × 3" (7.6 × 7.6 cm)
  * 3 purple squares, 3" × 3" (7.6 × 7.6 cm)
  * 18 white squares, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm)
  * 10 purple squares, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm)
  * 2 white rectangles, 1½" × 2½" (3.8 × 6.4 cm)
  * 1 green square, 2½" × 2½" (6.4 × 6.4 cm)
  * 2 purple strips, 1½" × 13" (6.4 × 33.0 cm)
  * 2 purple strips, 1½" × 15" (6.4 × 38.1 cm)
  
• Neutral color cotton fabric for back: 2 pieces, 14½" × 11" (36.8 × 27.9 cm)
  
• Neutral color sewing thread
  
• 15" × 15" (38.1 × 38.1 cm) pillow form
  
• Tools: cutting mat, quilting ruler, and rotary cutter; pencil; sewing machine; iron and ironing board; straight pins; scissors

Finished size: 14" × 14" (35.6 × 35.6 cm).