The pillow cover illustrated (along with my Auggie-Doggie cat) was made from a large basket quilt block. I filled the basket with Yo Yo 'flowers' (with button centers) and placed the block on point to increase its width, surrounding it with corner triangles.
If you're a new quilter you may not have a stash of unused blocks yet. Make the quilt blocks I used on page 3 of this pattern, or sew one or more of the quilt blocks in the block library. You can also search eBay for the term vintage quilt blocks -- an easy way find all sorts of inexpensive quilt blocks for your projects.
If you prefer, use a piece of fabric for the front of the pillow cover, rather than a quilt block.
You can buy pillow forms of all shapes and sizes at discount and craft stores. Try to choose one that's the same size as your finished pillow front – or go just a bit smaller for a tight fit. If a quilt block you adore is too small to make a pillow, or if it's an odd size, simply add borders around it to change its dimensions. I sewed together four blocks from a past quilt swap to make my pillow.
Use any backing fabric that coordinates with the front of your throw pillow.
Seam Allowances
I like to use a 1/2" seam allowance if I'm assembling a pillow cover from a quilt block surrounded by a border. The four blocks above already have a 1/4" seam allowance around their outer edges, so that pre-determined my seam width. Use a seam allowance that suits your project.
Quilt the Pillow Front
Back the pillow front with a piece of flannel and quilt as desired. Or, sandwich it with a piece of thin batting and backing and quilt.If you'd prefer not to quilt the pillow at all, that's okay too. Instead of quilting, I pressed fusible interfacing to the back side of my block unit before continuing. Interfacing adds a bit of depth and helps protect the block's seams when it's time to wash the pillow cover.
