I have been working with my digitizing software this week working on some new techniques and I am so proud of how they turned out. I wanted to try my hand at Trapunto quilting on my embroidery machine. Most of the Trapunto work I have seen is done mainly with White fabric or some type of Satin so you can see the negative space clearly on the fabric. An extra layer of batting is used to make those areas very puffy.
Here is the work on my machine just after it has stitched out. Inspiration to design and sew for me more often than not happens one step at a time. I usually keep quite a stock of materials in my stash so I can work when I get an idea. That is what happened here. I wanted to do a design that leaned more toward a masculine feel. Once it was embroidered, the white fabric was contrary to the design and I love it.
I also challenged myself to use some of the trims I found in one of my fabric grab bags. Here you see just using a little bit makes all the difference. Layering is a wonderful trick and even in a small area it can make your work look luxurious.
So by now in this project I had pretty much decided to make a pillow, but not just any throw pillow. I thought a ring bearer pillow with a woodland theme would be very unique. Most of these little pillows are silky satin material with lace and wind up in a hope chest after a ceremony. I wanted to make something that would be loved by the wedding couple and hopefully used after the vows in their home. The addition of elastic will make it easier for the item to be held and not dropped by the ringbearer.
Here is a view of the finished back. I love that it is cotton batiste. The additional batting really makes it feel substantial. Of course the white color is traditional and very pretty but I wanted to see what another pillow would look like in a more vintage color scheme.
This one has a similar design with more detail stitching and a different trim. It is also a little smaller than the first pillow but with the addition of the extra embroidery, it still makes a statement. On both of the pillows, the addition of a blue ribbon will help cover the something "new and blue".
Elastic was added to this one also. There are many tutorials on the internet on how to tie the rings to the pillow so I simply tacked them to the front so the bows can be untied and used for that purpose.
An off white ring bearer pillow might not be traditional but I can imagine this fitting into a less formal affair or even a re-commitment ceremony. In our area, weddings held in barns and rural settings are very popular also.
These were so much fun to make and each one is unique. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you have learned and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work.
