Gingerbread House Pillow

Making gingerbread houses has been a tradition in my house for years. There's always lots of candy, broken pieces, and even dinosaurs. We have so much fun! This year we'll be changing things up a bit and will be decorating cookies instead of houses. At least we can eat those!

Not having a gingerbread house just didn't seem right, so with the help of Crafter's Edge fabric dies I will get my cookie house...on a pillow!

The pillow used the Gingerbread House, Squares (6 1/2") for the center block, and the Crossover II. 

What I used to make the pillow:

Crafter's Edge Gingerbread House fabric die

Crafter's Edge Squares fabric die

Crafter's Edge Crossover II

Heat n Bond Lite, Iron-on Adhesive

Thread

Batting

18” x 18” Pillow Form

1/2 yard background fabric, pillow back, lining

6-8 fat quarters or fabric scraps for applique

1/4 yard - Binding

Oliso Iron

Spray n Bond Basting Adhesive

Cutting instructions:

Cut 1 - 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" Square fabric die, Center Block

Cut 1 - Gingerbread House from fabric die, Center Block

Cut 2 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" left and right Border A

Cut 2 - 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" top and bottom Border A

Cut 2 - 4 1/2" x 10 1/2" left and right Border B

Cut 2 - 4 1/2" x 18 1/2" top and bottom Border B

Cut 2 - 2 1/2" x 43" strips for binding

Cut 1 – 18 ½” x 18 ½” lining

Cut 2 – 11 ½” x 18 ½” pillow back

Cut 1 – 18 ½” x 18 ½” batting

Step 1: Applique – Iron adhesive to wrong side of fabrics; let cool. 

Step 2: Following Crafter’s Edge instructions, place paper side of adhesive facing up on platform*. Cover as directed before running through machine. Run die and fabric through machine. *To reverse the direction of design, place fabric side up before cutting.

Step 3: Peel off paper liner from the backs of applique pieces. Place applique, adhesive side down, on right side of fabric. Press according to package directions until entire piece is bonded. Let cool. Sew around edges of applique using a straight, zig-zag, or blanket stitch. 

Optional way to cut Center Block: After sewing edges of applique, center Square die around Gingerbread House. Following the machine's directions, roll through Crossover II to cut. 

The advantage of these dies is the ability to fussy cut fabrics...I love that about them!

Step 4: Border A – With right sides together, sew 2 ½” x 6 ½” strips to left and right of Center Block. Press seams towards borders. With right sides together, sew 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strips to top and bottom of Center Block. Press seams down.

 

Step 5: Border B - With right sides together, sew 4 ½” x 10 ½” strips to left and right of Border A. Press seams towards borders. With right sides together, 4 1/2" x 18 1/2" to top and bottom of Border A. Press seams down.

I had a little help with the photos...Hi, Mickey!

Step 6: Pillow front/lining/batting– Place pillow lining wrong side up on a flat surface. Lay batting on top of pillow lining. Lay pillow front, right side up on top of batting. Pin or clip with all edges meeting together. Baste around edges. Quilt if desired.

 

Step 7: Pillow Back - Fold under 1/4” on one long side of each 11½” x 18½” rectangles. Press. Fold over again 1/4” and press. Top stitch close to edge of fold. Overlap the two back sections with right sides up and turned under edges towards the middle to make an 18 ½” x 18 ½” square. Pin/clip to hold in place at overlapped sections and baste in place. 

Step 8: Pillow assembly - On a flat surface, layer pillow sections on top of each other in the following order: Pillow back, wrong side up; Pillow front with lining, wrong side down. Baste around edges. 

Step 9: Add binding using your favorite method. Place 18” x 18” pillow form inside through the flap.

Crafter's Edge has applique dies, English paper piecing dies, and quilting dies. Check them out!