Precarious Body Pillow: Stash Statement Blog Hop

Planned improvisation is my thing, so when my bloggy friend Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation asked if I would participate in the blog tour for her new book, Stash Statement, I was quick to answer "yes!"

 
The book contains 12 patterns plus tips for organizing and sewing together your scraps. Kelly made me ponder some new ways to combine and then cut fabric scraps. I was immediately drawn to the "Precarious" quilt. The layout of the blocks just screamed "body pillow" to me, so that's what I made!

Kelly's original "Precarious" quilt from Stash Statement

Each row of scraps is monochromatic like in Kelly's original rainbow-colored quilt, pictured above. Originally, I was inspired by a house in my town that's painted turquoise, blue, and brown (I used gray as my background color instead). I really enjoyed laying out my scraps and seeing what shapes they formed together.

Once I pieced the pillow, I quilted it densely with three colors of 40 weight Aurifil thread: 4060 (Silver Moon), 2810 (Turquoise), and 3770 (Stonewashed Denim). For quilted pillows, I usually baste a layer of thin batting and a piece of muslin behind it to ensure stability. Though it's densely quilted, the pillow is super soft!

I was quilting at sunset one day and had to take this picture. The sun really shows off the texture.

The backing was a long-stashed yard of Euclid linen by Carolyn Friedlander; I used up a whole yard with just a few small scraps left! I think it gives this pillow even more stability, and it meshes well with the front color scheme. I love to sneak my tags into pillow backings.

This was a really fun "palate cleanser" of a project, and I really feel like I actually used up scraps this time (unlike other scrappy projects I tend to engage with. Haha).

If you'd like a book that teaches you effective ways to use your scraps, make sure to check this one out! Visit Kelly's blog for a giveaway, and visited her Etsy shop for a signed copy. Please check your local quilt shop, Amazon, and Martingale for unsigned copies. Finally, view more book projects at the links below - enjoy!

Stash Statement Blog Tour Schedule

4/16- Grand Bazaar    Shelley @ Cora's Quilts

                                      Connie @ Freemotion by the River

4/23- Louvered  Lindsey @ Primrose Cottage Quilts 

                            Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

4/30- Precarious  Jess @ Quilty Habit                       

                              Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

                                                            

5/7- Beach Retreat  Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts                               

                                  Liz @ Savor Every Stitch 

                                                           

5/14- Fire Pit   Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts                                          

                         Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts

                                                            

5/21- Detour    Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts                         

                         Shelley @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts

                                                            

5/28- Murrina    Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl             

                            Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

                                                            

6/4- Scattered    Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal                      

                           Christine @ Triangles and Squares 

                                                            

6/11- Bloom Chicka Boom   Chris @ made by ChrissieD            

                                               Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

                                                            

6/18- Regatta   Susan @ Quilt Fabrication                             

                          Debbie @ A Quilter's Table    

                          Christa @ Christa Quilts

                                                            

6/25- Catch a Falling Star  Cynthia @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework        

                                              Anja @ Anja Quilts

                                                            

7/2- College Prep   Hilary @ by Hilary Jordan                 

                                Lori @ Crossquilt

                                                            

7/9- Take Flight (free bonus pattern)  Kelli @ Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches 

                                                             Paula @ The Sassy Quilter