Sailboat pillow - tutorial & pattern |Keeping it Real

Monday, June 15, 2015

Sailboat pillow - tutorial & pattern

Last week I had a few days off work and I took the opportunity to finish a series of projects that I had planned for quite some time. One of them was the sailboat pillow. Because it's almost summer and sailboats rock! 

I ended up making two of them, one for each of my kids (of course) and then I decided to make a pattern and share it here in case anyone wants to try it too (this pattern is no longer free - an improved version of the pattern is now available on Etsy)

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern



The sailboats are fairly easy to make and come together pretty quickly. I made these two on Saturday afternoon with plenty of time to spare. 

The pattern will get you a pillow about 30 centimeters high by 33 centimeters wide. If you want your pillow larger or smaller, adjust the pattern accordingly.

What you need: 
  • the pattern - available here
  • brown fabric for the boat and mast
  • colorful fabric for the sails
  • a piece of ribbon or bias tape in a contrasting color (for the flag)
  • polyester filling
I'm posting the instructions here, but they are also detailed in the pattern when you download it from Etsy.

Step 1: 
cut the fabric as indicated below: 
  • boat: cut two pieces
  • sails: cut four pieces
  • mast: cut two pieces
  • ribbon: about 8 centimeters long

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern



Step 2:
sew the sails to the mast.
pin the sails to the mast, one at a time, right sides together, and sew.

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

 In the end, you will have something that looks like this (before ironing):

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

Do this with both sets of sails + mast. 

Step 3: 
attach the sails to the boat.

Pin the sails + mast pieces to each of the boat pieces (right sides together) and sew. The sails + mast pieces are slightly larger than the boat, so make sure they are centered before sewing.

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

Step 4: 
sew the pillow.

First, fold the piece of ribbon in half and pin it to the top of one of the masts, as shown:

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

Then, place the two sides of the pillow one on top of the other, right sides together and pin all around. Make sure the ribbon flag is tucked inside the fabric pieces. Start sewing slightly off the center of the boat (see where my finger is pointing):

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern


Sew all around leaving and opening at the bottom (again, look at my fingers):

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

Step 5: 

Turn inside out, fill with polyester filling and close the opening.

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

Now, make a whole fleet of little sailboats!

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern

sailboat pillow tutorial and pattern



Enjoy,

keeping it real, craft blog


38 comments:

  1. These are adorable! Thanks for the pattern and tutorial.

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  2. Those sail boat pillows are just so cool. You have done such nice work on them. I am visiting via #SoMe2
    Kathleen

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the pillows, I had so much fun making them!

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  3. Hi Teresa! These are cute and fun! Also perfect for summer decoration! x Teje

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    1. Thank you Teje! Yes, summer and sailboats definitely match!

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  4. This is too stinking cute! :)

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  5. These are so great! I can just see them in a great kids room :) Thanks for sharing at Together on Tuesdays!!! You always share the best posts!

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  6. This is so cute. Thank you for sharing with OMHG Wordless Wednesday Link Party.. Have a great day, co-host Evija @Fromevijawithlove x

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  7. So cute! Stopping by from the Friendship Friday hop, come say hi!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

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  8. These are adorable! I can picture them now on my couch.

    Jenni // The Beautiful Little Fools

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    Replies
    1. You have to try out the pattern then! These pillows are perfect for summer!

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  9. I'm in love with this! Thank you for sharing this with us! Pinned and tweeted! I hope to see you at tonight's party. We are always so impressed with your creations and can't wait to see them! Lou Lou Girls

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    1. Thank you Kimberly! Off to link up to this week's party!

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  10. Too cute! I love the design! Thanks so much for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty. Hope you join us again next week! The door opens Friday EST.

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  11. These are adorable! I went to our local home shows last week and Nautical was everywhere. Navy is the new hot color! Thanks for sharing the pattern with SYC. Pinned.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  12. Those would be really cute for a beach house!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope you stop by tomorrow and share some more! I love having you! Pinned!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Elaine, linked up to this week's party already!

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  13. Hi Teresa, just hopping back to let you know that I will be featuring you at SYC this week.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  14. These are so cute! I am going to download the pattern, and then hopefully I can talk my daughter into making it for me!

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  15. Well, aren't these just the cutest! Love your sailboat pillows. Great fun for summer decor. Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! We'd love to have you for a visit. The Door Opens Friday! :)

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai

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    1. Thank you Lorelai, I've linked up to this week's party already!

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  16. These are so cute! What a great summer decor! Thank you for sharing this DIY at the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup!

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  17. These are great! I need to do this for my friend's nursery! Cute! Thank you for linking up with #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup 6/21/15

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    1. Thank you Heather! let me know how it goes then!

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  18. These are so cute! Love the little flag- such a great detail!

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  19. I pin the flag on the right side of the fabric?

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    1. Yes, just like it's shown in the picture. It should be tucked in between the two pieces of the mast, so that when you sew the mast (right sides together), and then turn it inside out, the flag will be visible. I hope this helps, let me know if you still have questions.

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