Sewing

Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew

Review & giveaway: Pretty Little Pillows

by

Pretty Little Pillows from Lark Books is a pretty little book that explores the creative possibilities that the pillow offers.  The underlying structure of a pillow is pretty basic: two pieces of fabric with some stuffing in between.  And yet it’s that simple structure that allows freedom to experiment with surface design, shape, and scale.

The book starts by explaining the basic construction of a pillow, along with some common finishing techniques and hand stitches to embellish.

Then, it gives step-by-step instructions (along with color photos of the more complex steps) to create 29 different kinds of pillows.  Each of these beautiful projects focuses on a different technique or material or use.  Projects like Afternoon Tea or Tropical Blossom give the pillow an interesting shape, while Twist-n-Tie or Smock It use techniques to alter the surface of the pillow and give it texture.

My personal favorites in the book include the Ribbon Rounds pillow, which is actually four long pillows tied together with pretty ribbons.  They’re functional together as a group, or you can untie the ribbon and use them separately as smaller pillows.  The Quick Change pillow, with two triangular flaps that can be buttoned to either side of the pillow, allows multiple looks with from one pillow.  Another favorite is the Cuddle Drops pillow, little dew-drop pillows with cuddly-sweet appliqued faces.

So that’s the review part of this post.  Now for the giveaway.

I’m giving away my review copy of Pretty Little Pillows to one lucky Craft Gossip reader.  To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me how badly you want this book.  I’ll choose the winner at random.  Deadline for entry is Friday, May 21, 20101 at midnight CST.  Good luck!

Comments

  1. Oooh, how pretty! I need this book really, really bad, because I am living in Germany and we don’t have “pretty things”, here it’s all about being serious and doing your “Handwerk” right instead of pretty!

    Sonja

  2. How bad do I want this book … well let’s see…

    I want it so bad that I would run around my neighborhood screaming it.

    I want it so bad I would wear a sandwich board to the mall declaring it.

    I want it so bad I would trade one of my kids for it.

    … well maybe not that last one but I REALLY do want it.

  4. Haha, how badly do I want this book? Very badly! It looks adorable, full of amazing projects for kids and for the home, I’d really love to win it! Thanks for the chance!

  5. I would LOVE to have this book! I’m still new to sewing and love to make things for other people. This books is a perfect fit!

  8. I would love a copy of this book!! I’ve been thinking of making new pillows for our living room, but more than that I have a little girl who’s getting just big enough to start cuddling everything! The Cuddle Drops are screaming her name!!

  9. I would love, love, love this book! I am re-doing my living room on a strict budget…going to spice up our current furniture w/ some funky pillowes…this would so help in doing that!

  11. I woudl love to have this book!! Badly. I see so many cute ideas that my daughter (another pillow lover) would love to have.

  12. I definite would love this book, I love making pillows and I’m always planning on making some more and … it would be very hard to get that book here in Chile! So I really really want it badly!
    Thanks anyway just for the chance!

  13. Oh my… this would be an awesome inspiration for me! I alsways have the habbit to make something for friends of my girls and buy something when they go to a b’day [arty! I am desparately looking for something new! I managed to come by with handmad bags for the girls… But I am round. All theri friends have a little handmade bag! some of the girls are on for something new! This book would be great for my next move: PILLOWS ON THEIR ROOMS!!!!

    love Miranda

  14. I would love to win this book! I love pillows, in our home there are pillows everywhere but they all are regular pillows. I need fun pillows!! I need this book to made them! 🙂

  16. I am a pillow addict (I think I sleep with four on the average night). I could always use more fuel for my addiction.

  17. I absolutely love the innovative pillow designs in the book inspired to make a person not only think outside of the box but sew in the same fashion as well.

  18. Wow, what timing!!! I’m in the process of designing and creating a few pillows for a tremendously talented friend who has been knitting a few things for me… she decided that rather than payment for her incredible knitting skills, she wanted a few unusual pillows designed and made by me, since I have the sewing skills!! I can sew just about anything, but the creativity genes skipped me and went directly to some other part of my family… so I can use all the help I can get!!! Oh, to be so lucky as to win!!

  19. I want this bad!! Ok I am new to sewing and have never made a pillow. Oh wait I take that back, I made one in 6th grade by hand as a class project. But I need inspiration and I think this will be a perfect one!

  20. I want this so badly! I signed up to win it on another site and lost…if I lose again I may have to make a little trip to the book store.

  21. I love pillows! They are the best and easiest way to change your room decor! I also love how they are a simple project for the beginning sewer. The book looks as though it will have very cute pillows in it! Thanks for the competition!

  22. i want this badly becues making pillows are in my “to do list”
    i neeeed this to inspire me
    and above all
    i want this book!
    thanks!

  23. Oh, I just saw this book on Aimee Ray’s blog and I would LOVE to have it as I am getting the sewing/embroidery fever right now!!! 😀 Thanks for the chance!

  25. these are lovely!! I would love this because here in venezuela, we don’t even have nice fabrics anymore! We have to make our own beautifull items!

  26. I need this book, my house decor needs a overhaul except I have no money. I can sew, and new pillows are a great new decor to add.

  28. I had found this book on a list from my book club and it’s on my list of favorites. It has some clever designs. I’d love to win this giveaway!

  29. I want it bad enough to trade my kids for it, but since I want it so that we can make pillows for a beginning sewing project for them it creates quite a conundrum! So maybe I can just win the book and keep the kids?

  30. I’ve got to have this book! Here’s how much I want it: Well, I want it more than that, but I could’ve gone on forever. I love making pillows!
    Amy

  31. I woudl love to have this book!! Badly. I see so many cute ideas that my sisters(another pillow lover) would love to have.

  32. Looks like a great book filled with lots of inspiration! Might as well enter for a chance to win it. : )

  33. I have such grungy looking pillows on my couch now. It would be great to spruce it up with colorful HANDMADE pillows!!

  35. I’m from Israel and I’m addicted to those books series!! I’m just learning to sew and those books are teaching me so much. I desperately want this book!!!

  36. Oh! I seriously want this book! I have a bit of an obsession with pillows. That quick change pillow is fabulous! I am sure the projects are just full of awesome. WANT!

  37. I want this book so bad that I will make sure your name is praised into perpetuity!

  38. We are moving into our new house soon and this book would be perfect! Thank you for the giveaway!!!

  39. I’ve lost 40 pounds since the beginning of the year and I would love to get the book to make some pillows to rest my weary newly skinny body on! 😉 (Skinny is relative … compared to whales … right? LOL)

    I have the rest of the Pretty Little books and will be getting this one as well – they’re just too cute and fun to pass up! Thank you for a very creative giveaway – I’m having a great laugh at the posts, lol!

  40. It would be fun to have this book as it would help me to use up a bunch of fabrics I have stashed under my work table. My daughter would probably love a few more cute pillows for her bed. Thanks!

  41. lol, wanting and badly needing this! So need to make pillows, been on the to do list but… need inspiration! Hmmm, need this badly enough to give up chocolate for a month!

  42. Oh, they ARE so pretty! I badly need to cute-ify the pillows on my couch – they are plain ikea pillows without any covers! Argh!

  46. Oh, this is such a usefull little book. I would like it because I volunteer at our local hospital and we sew things for the gift shop and for the patients in hospital. This would be a very nice thing for our patients so have some “pretty” little pillows for Physical therapy or just to have for comfort. And how nice for the hospital to be able to cheer them up with a pretty little pillow to keep.

  47. WOW this is one I would love to help teach my daughter to sew with it looks fun and easy!!!

  48. I could really use this book. I can sew most anything with or without a pattern but pillows for some reason escape me. Of all the pillows I have sewn for our house I have yet to have one turn out exactly as I envisioned it. I am in need of pillow help.

  50. Oh I badly want this book. I know I shouldn’t- my mum always said that we should focus on our needs and not our wants… maybe I should be writing I NEED THIS BOOK. Its coming into winter here- perfect timing for snuggly crafts, couch makeovers, and cuddly pillows and cushions for the kids beds. Want/Need, I would treasure this book!!!

  51. I would love this book – I’m teaching my 7 year old son how to sew and pillows make great projects. This would be a terrific resource for us.

  52. I would like to own this book… cause I ve lost a job so I think about starting with some crafts. I believe that the book is full of beautiful projects.

  54. I would love love love to win this book. I have been obsessed with making pillows for my house lately but I seem to be stuck in a rut of only making square ones. I’m a little uncertain about how to go about the others but I am sure that this book would calm my fears.

  55. I want it so I don’t go stir crazy in the house… My crafty gene is turning into overdrive and I have no idea what to make with all of the fabric, vinyl and yarn sitting around my house right now!

  56. I love pillows and this book would just make me unstoppable in making more of them :)))

  57. I want this book SOOOOOOOOO badly! I was just about to buy it on Amazon when I saw this giveaway!

  58. I’m new to sewing and just love it. I would really love to have the book soI can make some nice pillows for my home. please!

  59. I need this book cause all of my friends are having babies and I need to make them cute pillows for their backs and then to make cute things for the babies too!!

    I would trade my kids for it but trust me you don’t want them! so I’ll offer my roommate, he at least does the dishes!!

  60. You have no idea how much i would love to have this book!!! See, i have a project. do a “julie/julia project” kind of blog, all about craft, doing a lot of tutorial, telling how was for me, with pictures n stuff. I wanna do this with a lot of books. But, i live in Brazil and here, we dont have books about crafting, well.. not really good ones, so i’m trying to get good books, and this one would be great!! I hope i win!!!

  61. I need this book because I am a craft book-aholic. That’s pretty much it. It looks fabulous and that is enough for me!

  64. I want this book. Badly. Like really badly. I will have the cutest pillows in all of Fairbanks, Alaska if I got this book. No kidding.

  65. I could really use this book with my students, they tend to think a pillow is square and in plain colours. The book might give them some other ideas.

  66. This book looks great! Very creative and pretty – I would love love love to have it! I will be requesting this as a present for my birthday at the end of this year – unless I am lucky enough to win it here!!

  67. I would LOVE to have this book! I had a baby boy in December, and while I think the crib set that my husband bought is cute, I want to make some more personalized items for baby’s room, and our room

  69. I love making little pillows! You can never have too many floating around. =0) I would love to have this book.

  70. Oh dear, I need this fantastic little book, because here in Germany we don’t habe such cute books, which inspire the fantasy. And it ssems to be wonderful to use the fabrics that are sleeping in my wardrobe….

    Kind regards from Germany
    Claudia alias [email protected]

  71. BADLY!!! I LOVE pillows and am just getting back into sewing after being away from it for years. I need my creative juices flowing and just LOOKING at this book is giving me ideas already! I CAN’T WAIT to see what’s inside!!! Thanks for the chance! ~Renee’

Have you read?

DIY Halloween Sock Pumpkins: Easy Fuzzy Pumpkins With Ghosts, Stripes and Witch Hats

Some craft supplies announce themselves immediately. Others look suspiciously like something you were supposed to put in the laundry basket.

These fuzzy Halloween socks fall into the second category. With little white ghosts, orange dots, witch hats and cheerful stripes, they are practically asking to become a collection of soft decorative pumpkins.

This DIY Halloween sock pumpkin tutorial uses the leg section of each sock, a little stuffing and yarn wrapped around the outside to create the pumpkin grooves. Add a natural twig stem, and you have a small Halloween decoration for a shelf, tray or mantel.

There is a little hand sewing to close the bottom, but no sewing machine or paper pattern required. The sock already provides the fabric tube, which takes care of a good chunk of the work.

The finished pumpkins will look handmade, and that is part of their charm. Different sizes, slightly uneven sections and a cheeky ghost peeking around one side make a much more interesting display than five identical pumpkins lined up for inspection.

Choosing Your Halloween Socks

The socks pictured give you several coordinating options:

  • Black with white ghosts: Lovely for a darker pumpkin with playful little characters.
  • Orange, black and white stripes: A bright centrepiece for the group.
  • Black with orange dots: A simple pattern that works well around the curved shape.
  • White with black “Boo” lettering and a spider: Best positioned carefully before shaping.
  • White with witch hats, orange stars and a crescent moon: A lighter pumpkin that breaks up the black and orange palette.

Use the leg section above the heel to avoid the non-slip grips on the soles. Those grips are excellent for walking across slippery floors, but they are less useful decorating the side of a pumpkin.

If you are using socks you already own, wash and dry them first and check for holes or weakened fabric.

We have shared pumpkins made from old socks before, and patterned Halloween socks give the idea a fun seasonal twist.

What You Need

  • Fuzzy Halloween socks like the designs shown
  • Polyester toy stuffing or clean stuffing reclaimed from an old cushion
  • Strong sewing thread
  • Sewing needle
  • Smooth, strong yarn or soft cotton twine
  • Scissors
  • A ruler
  • Short, clean, dry twigs for stems
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Optional felt leaves, narrow ribbon or jute twine

Skill level: Beginner friendly
Making time: Approximately 30 to 45 minutes per pumpkin
Finished size: Depends on the sock dimensions and stuffing
Display: Indoors

Choose black shaping yarn for the black socks and cream or white yarn for the lighter designs if you want the wrapping to blend in.

If you need supplies, fuzzy Halloween socks, toy stuffing and smooth cotton yarn are useful items to look for at a craft shop or Amazon. Check the sock photographs carefully: the pattern needs to appear on the leg section you will be using.

How to Make Halloween Pumpkins From Fuzzy Socks

1. Choose the Pattern You Want to Show

Lay out the sock and identify the motifs above the heel.

For the ghost and witch-hat designs, choose a prominent motif to become the front of the pumpkin. With the “Boo” sock, check that the wording sits within the section you are keeping.

Remember that stuffing and shaping will stretch the design. Lettering may curve or bunch slightly, so treat it as a playful detail rather than expecting it to remain perfectly flat.

2. Cut Off the Sock Leg

Cut straight across just above the heel, keeping the leg and cuff as an open-ended tube.

Check that the piece has no sole grips on it. Set the foot section aside.

You can remove a contrasting cuff if you prefer, but only if enough fabric remains to make a small pouch.

3. Sew the Bottom Closed

Turn the tube inside out.

Sew a running stitch around the cut edge, approximately 1 cm in from the edge. Make sure the stitches catch the knitted fabric beneath the fuzzy surface.

Pull the thread gently to gather the opening. Secure with several stitches and a firm knot, then stitch across any remaining gap.

Turn the tube right side out. This gathered closure becomes the bottom of the pumpkin.

4. Add the Stuffing

Fill the pouch through its remaining opening, adding small pieces of stuffing and distributing them evenly.

Shape it into a plump, rounded ball that still compresses easily when squeezed.

Avoid stuffing it until it feels hard. You need enough give to pull the yarn into the sides and create the pumpkin sections.

Push the bottom closure inward slightly to help form a flatter base.

5. Tie the Top Closed

Gather the opening above the stuffing and tie it securely with strong yarn or thread.

Add a second knot and check that the filling cannot escape.

Trim the excess fabric, leaving approximately 2 to 3 cm above the tie. Fold this small tuft down towards the centre.

Do not trim close to the knot, as the closure could slip loose.

6. Wrap the Pumpkin Sections

Cut enough shaping yarn to wrap around the stuffed ball four times, with extra length for tying.

Leave a tail at the top. Take the yarn down one side, across the centre of the bottom and up the opposite side, returning to the top.

Repeat at a right angle to the first wrap. Add two more wraps halfway between the existing lines.

Four complete wraps create approximately eight pumpkin sections.

Pull each wrap firmly enough to indent the stuffing, keeping the yarn crossing at the same points on the top and bottom.

Tie securely at the top and tuck the trimmed ends beneath the fabric tuft.

For patterned socks: Position the first wraps around your chosen front motif where possible. You can also use three complete wraps for six broader sections if a ghost or witch hat needs a little more room.

7. Adjust the Pumpkin Shape

Gently squeeze the stuffing into rounded lobes between the yarn lines.

Check that the pumpkin sits steadily and that your chosen motif faces forwards.

If the lettering or a character has disappeared into a groove, loosen and reposition that wrap before tightening it again.

The fuzzy surface may partly conceal the yarn, giving the pumpkin a softer finish.

8. Attach a Twig Stem

Choose a short twig, approximately 4 to 7 cm long, with a reasonably flat bottom.

Apply hot glue around the folded fabric tuft and nestle the twig into the folds. Hold it in place until the glue sets.

Avoid piercing through the sock or opening the gathered closure.

A short, lightweight stem will be easier to secure and less likely to make the pumpkin tip over.

9. Add a Small Finishing Detail

Keep the decoration simple so the sock patterns remain the main feature.

Try a muted green felt leaf on the striped pumpkin, a narrow orange ribbon on the ghost design or a little black bow beside the witch-hat stem.

You can wrap jute around the base of the twig to conceal the attachment, but avoid covering too much of the patterned fabric.

How to Style Your Halloween Sock Pumpkins

Arrange three or five pumpkins together, varying their sizes slightly. Place the striped orange version beside a black ghost pumpkin and a white witch-hat pumpkin for an easy coordinated display.

A shallow tray keeps the group together on a coffee table. On a mantel, mix them with a small stack of books and an LED candle.

Keep the fabric pumpkins away from flames and other heat sources.

If you want to make larger pumpkins alongside these little sock versions, our fabric pumpkin patterns in three sizes offer another way to build a varied display. For a different soft texture, take a look at the Minky pumpkin sewing tutorial.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Including the non-slip sole: Cut above the heel and check the retained fabric before sewing.

Overstuffing: Keep the ball soft enough to shape without straining the sock.

Stitching through fluff alone: Catch the underlying knitted fabric so the closure holds.

Wrapping directly over the main motif: Plan the front before tightening the yarn.

Using rough shaping twine: Smooth yarn is easier to position without catching the fuzzy fibres.

Adding too many embellishments: The ghosts, dots and witch hats already provide plenty of detail.

Keeping Them for Next Halloween

Store the pumpkins somewhere dry, with room around the stems. Avoid placing heavy decorations on top.

Before displaying them again, check the stem attachments and gently reshape any flattened sections.

These are decorative pumpkins rather than toys, particularly once the twigs and glued embellishments are attached.

What I like about this little Halloween craft is that the fabric does much of the decorating for you. A few simple stitches, some stuffing and a handful of yarn wraps turn those fuzzy socks into something cheerful for the house. And if one ghost ends up peeking sideways around a pumpkin groove, I would call that personality.