Just a Pillow

This is "just a pillow" but it has a story behind it. It all started with a fat quarter I bought on sale at a neighboring guild's fabric sale. Although I do not normally tend toward a neutral palette, I loved the intricate line drawing in this architectural themed fabric. What to do with it? I know. I will make a pillow. I will find a coordinating fabric in my stash for the back.

If I sew ½" seams around two 18" fabric squares, the cover will fit snugly on an 18" pillow form. I have to buy a pillow form. Wouldn't the pillow look cute with black fringe trim around it? I have to buy black fringe trim. Off I go on a commando raid to the fabric store. This phenomenon is called scope creep and budget exceedance; both are always possible with even the simplest of projects. 

I trekked over to the trim department and the cheapest fringe I could find was $7.99 per yard. I needed two yards and a bit to turn corners so I was looking at over $16 + tax. I decided the fabric was striking enough. Fringe would only detract. This project, after all, had started with the piddly $1 for a fat quarter.  

Bins at the fabric store for 14", 16", and 22" pillow forms were full but the 18" bin was empty (of course). I finally located an 18" square pillow form but there was no price on it. "How much could it be?", I scoffed. Up to the register I go. When I was told the price was a mere $27.99, I let out a resounding "Yikes"! The clerk pointed out to me that the form was for indoor/outdoor weather conditions and therefore more pricey. She called for another clerk to meet me back at the pillow forms and the second clerk did locate one final remaining non-specialized 18" form at almost half the price and also on sale at 25% off. Whew! That's more like it! They had been sold out of the "basic" forms but I was willing to spring $11.99 for a "premium" form, especially after dodging that $27.99 cost. 

I did have a perfectly coordinating fabric in my stash, black and white dots on a background that was the exact beige of the focal print. It looked like the two were made for each other. I also happened to already have 16" zipper that I could insert in the bottom seam.

Here is the front and back of the completed pillow. It took me less time to make the pillow than it did to buy the form, decide against fringe, find the zipper, and write this blog post.

It goes great on my husband's recliner. It is kind of manly, too. However, it is still "just a pillow". And to think... it all started with a $1 "bargain".