Wedding Wednesday: Quilted Ring Bearer Pillow

This Wedding Wednesday I've got a DIY for y'all! Late last night while watching the Rangers game, I had a DIY brainstorm and spent the next hour stitching up the ring bearer pillow for my wedding. It's colorful, faux quilted, and upcycled – in a word? Adorbs!

Supply List:

• Fabric Scraps (I had tons. If you don't try Miss Jennifer Lowe for stacks of precut squares).
• One 8"x8" square of fabric (I used a patterned duckcloth but a simple cotton or old dress shirt would work well, too).
• 8"x1.5" strips of plain fabric (I used some old white linen I had laying around but old shirts or sheets would work well, too).
• Old embellished T-shirt.
• Thread.
• Sewing Machine.
• Scissors.
• Ribbon.
• Polyfill.

Directions:

Step One: Get out scraps and cut each fabric into similiar sized rectangles or squares. I used 2"x3" rectangles and just eyeballed the size as I cut (i.e. I laid one cut scrap on top of another and then cut around it. Rinse and repeat. It worked out fine).

Step Two: Stitch cut scraps together into a long line (Mine measured 8" across once the pieces were all sewn together. I ended up with 4 long strips of scraps. Iron seams flat in the back.

Step Three: Stitch the long ends of the scrap strips to the long ends of the plain fabric strips. Remember to put right sides (place the fabric so that the side that is going to show once it is finished) together (layered so they are facing each other). I used a 1/4" seam allowance and reinforced the ends. Rinse and repeat until all the fabric strips are sewn to the plain fabric strips. Iron the seams flat.

Step Four: Use scissors or a seam ripper to remove the embellishment from your old T-shirt. Stitch the embellishment to the top of the faux quilt fabric spiece you just created (I just layered mine on top of the right of the piece, flipped it over, and stitched it down. You may have to be more delicate if you're using something thicker or with special fabrics).

Step Five: Stitch your 8"x8" fabric piece to your faux quilt fabric piece. Remember to put right sides (place the fabric so that the side that is going to show once it is finished) together (layered so they are facing each other). Be sure to leave a 3"-4" gap on one side (to allow you to flip the pieces right side out and stuff)! I used a 1/4" seam allowance and reinforced the ends. Use scissors to clip the corners on the diagonal and iron the seams.

Step Six: Flip the pieces right sides out. Stuff your pillow with polyfill. Use a needle to stitch the opening closed (use a hidden stitch).

Step Seven: This is the hardest part. Layer your ribbon on the top of the pillow. Stitch through the top of the ribbon, through the pillow and batting to the center of the back of the pillow. Add a button and stitch through the button to the top of the ribbon again. Rinse and repeat until both are secure.

Cute, right? This was a pretty simple task for anyone with any quilting experience or intermediate and up sewing skills. I'm stupid excited to have The Boys' nephew, Jacob, carry it down the aisle during the ceremony.

Any of your planning something exciting for your ring bearer pillow? Are you DIYing it? Or are you nixing that sucker altogether? Share it with the class!