Romance in Red

Designer: Jan Ragaller

• 3⁄8 yard total assorted red prints (blocks, binding)
• 3⁄8 yard cream print (blocks, pillow back)
• 14-1⁄2" square muslin
• 14-1⁄2" square batting
• 12"-square pillow form

Finished pillow: 12" square

Finished block: 6" square

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order.

From assorted red prints, cut:

• 2--2-1⁄2×28" binding strips
• 2--6-1⁄2" squares
• 6--2-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 12 triangles total

From cream print, cut:

• 2--12-1⁄2×10-1⁄2" rectangles
• 6--2-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 12 triangles total
• 6--2-1⁄2" squares

1. Sew together one cream print triangle and one red print triangle to make a triangle-square (Diagram 1). Press seam toward red print triangle. The triangle-square should be 2-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make six triangle-squares total.

2. Referring to Diagram 2, lay out triangle-squares and three cream print 2-1⁄2" squares in three horizontal rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams in one direction, alternating direction with each row. Join rows to make a Double X block. Press seams in one direction. The Double X block should be 6-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make a second Double X block.

1. Referring to Assembly Diagram, lay out two Double X blocks and two red print 6-1⁄2" squares in pairs.

2. Sew together pieces in each pair. Press seams toward red squares. Join pairs to make pillow top. Press seam in one direction.

1. Layer pillow top, the 14-1⁄2" batting square, and the 14-1⁄2" muslin square. Machine- or hand-quilt as desired. The featured pillow was quilted in evenly spaced diagonal rows.

2. Press under 1⁄4" along a long edge of each cream print 12-1⁄2×10-1⁄2" rectangle. Press under an additional 2" and topstitch in place to make two hemmed pillow back pieces.

3. With wrong sides together, pin pillow back pieces to pillow top, aligning raw edges and overlapping folded edges. Sew pieces together along all four edges to make pillow cover.

4. Bind with red print binding strips. Insert pillow form.