I made some Sunrise Pillow shams for some friends.
Something keeps me coming back to the mini blocks of this project. There are 2 different mini sizes included with the pattern, and I love making both of them. In this project, I used the smallest of them (or block C in the pattern).
One nice thing about mini blocks is that they are extremely scrap friendly. I like putting scraps to use–it feels efficient and also productive, like you’re cleaning too by getting rid of a pile. Plus it’s always magical when surprising fabric combinations find their way to each other, which I feel happens more often when you’re working from a pile of scraps.
These shams were a gift for some friends that were getting married. I liked the symbolism of new beginnings with the block, and I liked incorporating many of my fabrics as well as little bits of Liberty fabrics since one of the recipients loves Liberty too. As for the color palette, I wanted something neutral but also with some life. When I make a gift for someone, I try to hone in on colors that the recipient loves, as well make something that is somewhat versatile. A neutral palette can be great for that.
After piecing the blocks, I sewed them together and added a border to create the right size for the shams that I was going for. I believe these are on 18″ pillow forms.
Then I did some straight-line quilting, added some piping, and finished them with an envelope-style back for slipping the shams on and off.
Usually when I’m working on something scrappy, I’ll wait until all of my blocks are pieced before deciding on a border. Here a print from Polk was just what I wanted to finish them off, and a print from Friedlander worked well on the back.
There we have it–a set of shams for some friends!
Fabric(s): Mostly mine from many collections and some Liberty of London too
Pattern: Sunrise Quilt (I used the bonus Mini block C.)
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