You know what's cool about pillows? You can take one design, and by simply changing up the fabric, get a completely different look. That's what we've done with our stunning hexagonal pillow. We've used this style of pillow a couple times before, but you'd never know it. Our black and white version features Extreme Fussy Cutting (similar to what those daring skateboarders do, but you're less likely to fall) to create the beautiful flower on the front. The back is a coordinating solid linen. A covered button pops the flower's center and six pretty tassels are the finishing touch.

When the weather outside is frightful, minky is sooo delightful. Our neck pillows have been a year 'round favorite project since we first posted the pattern two years ago. We've made them in quilting cottons, and flannel, but never in minky. Combining the comfort of the neck pillow with the buttery, silky softness of minky has to be the ultimate gift for the neck. 

We love the simple clean lines of these microwavable neck and lap/back heating pads. For a couple minutes in the microwave, you'll get up to a hour of safe warm heat without the dangers inherent in electric heating pads: burns, fires and electrical shock. Electric heating pad cautions read: Never use in a situation where you could fall asleep. Hmmm... often falling asleep is my goal. These pads are not difficult to make, and are a useful gift for most any adult. Good for muscle aches or when you feel a chill and don't want to turn up the thermostat. You can also freeze them for a pleasant cooling effect. Although, just typing that made me shiver. Add a drop of essential oil if you like for a little aromatherapy.

The final entry in our Pretty Piped Pillow Series is a gorgeous octagon, which features a double framed square and clever corner triangles. As with the other pillows in this series, the patchworking looks much more complex than it really is. Make sure your initial cuts are precise, and assembly will be a snap. We show you how to add the piping and how to alter your pillow form to fit the unique shape.

I call this our "jewel box pillow" because it features three rows of diamonds. But in the world of patchwork, a diamond is really just a square turned on point. So the complex-looking front of this pretty pillow is actually six simple rows stitched together on the diagonal. Fooled ya, didn't we?! We add piping and covered buttons to soften the angles of the diamonds and triangles. Joanna Figueroa's lovely Butterscotch & Rose collection is the perfect fabric choice. The colors are rich and creamy and the patterns elegant. But in true Joanna fashion, nothing ever feels stuffy or dated.

We got a sneak peek at Joanna Figueroa's lovely Butterscotch & Rose collection awhile back and had been noodlin' on how we wanted to use it. The colors are rich and creamy and the patterns elegant. But in true Joanna fashion, nothing ever feels stuffy or dated. Instead, she injects a modern energy into the charm of a nostalgic color palette. Like a cashmere sweater worn over your favorite jeans; it's comfortable and stylish in one fell swoop. We decided a trio of patchworked pillows answered our creative question. Today, download our free wedge pattern to make a pretty round pinwheel pillow.

One fabric on the front, another on the back, a third for the ruffles and ties. Mix and match everything for a cornucopia of color in this tri-pillow tutorial. We've blended the great greens, oranges and browns of Pillow & Maxfield's Pretty Bird collection to create a rich fall palette. With a cute bow closure on the back, this set of 18", 20" and 24" pillows looks great from either side. Plop them against a plain sofa and watch the room go from boring to beautiful in the blink of an eye.

Down on the ground is where all the cool stuff happens. It's where cars race and roll, where balls bounce best, and where building blocks can spread far and wide. At 25" square, our tufted floor pillow tutorial is just the right size for a lil' sittin' or snoozin'. And, there's a handy carry handle so you can take it along on your next adventure. This is just one of the eight projects in our new Storybook Lil' Boy's Room Series sponsored by Moda Fabrics and featuring the nostalgic Lil' Rascals collection by Chloe's Closet.

Cute toss pillows in interesting shapes are a great way to interject a bit of playful zest into children's décor (although, we will allow you to make this for grown-up types as well). Our ukulele pillow tutorial certainly qualifies as an interesting shape, and we include a free downloadable pattern for it. The finished ukulele is also the perfect size and shape to bonk unsuspecting siblings over the head. Not that we would ever encourage bonking (or would we?). This soft and silent ukulele pillow is just one of the eight projects in our new Storybook Lil' Boy's Room Series sponsored by Moda Fabrics and featuring the nostalgic Lil' Rascals collection by Chloe's Closet .

This 'Found Fabric' tutorial is for all our S4H friends out there who, like me, have a hankerin' for hankies. Although I haven't used one lately to blow my nose, mop my brow or bestow as a favor on my knight in shining armor, I still love them. They're little squares of highly-concentrated beauty, like miniature works of art. Dig out your collection and turn them into a set of one-of-a-kind vintage pillows.

Our pretty piped pillow tutorial offers free downloadable patterns for a friendly elephant and a graceful giraffe. If you are clever with paper and pen, you can draw additional shapes and expand your zoo. For easiest appliquéing, keep curves large and smooth and avoid tiny points. These animal appliqué pillows are just one of eight projects in our new nursery series sponsored by our good friends at Michael Miller Fabrics, and are created using their new Color Story concept. We love the Citron and Gray 'Huevos' fabric we chose for the pillow backs and the elephant appliqué. Repeating circles that are chubby and sweet, like little soap bubbles.

Around these parts, Summer is prime time for outdoor concerts. Seating for these events is usually just the grassy slopes of a natural amphitheater. You gotta bring something to sit on. A blanket is often too big and rather bulky to pack in. Instead, try this lightly padded, roll-up cushion in two great outdoor fabrics. It's filled with foam, which your bottom will like, and the outdoor fabric is weather and water resistant, which your white summer pants will like.

It doesn't seem possible it was over a month ago when I was at Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. It seems like yesterday. They say the whole 'Time Flies' thing is a sure sign of age, but my goodness... it does go speeding by sometimes, doesn't it?! My head is still spinning with images of all the beautiful new fabric, and of course, all the incredible quilts that were on display. It got us thinking how fun it would be to collect some of our favorite S4H patchwork projects into one handy collection. And so, Pretty Pretty Patchwork Week was born. Today: Patchwork Pillows. Five beauties with something for every skill level.

Give Mom a pillow duo that will add an instant splash of spring to her favorite sofa, chair or bed. Our side-by-side design sets off the the pretty Parisville prints with bold designer linen colors. And we love these double-ruffle ribbons from The Ribbon Retreat, which remind us a bit of lasagna. We used them as a lovely embellishment that not only ties into ruffly bow accents, it also ties the two pillows together into a perfect pair.

Out here in the Northwest, we know our clouds. Just as they say the Eskimos have dozens of words to describe snow, I think we have just as many to describe clouds and the rain that often descends from them. Today, we've ignored those water-logged centers and chosen our favorite fluffy white clouds... the ones you found shapes in as a child, lying on your back in the summer grass. "There's a chariot pulled by four white horses!" "I see a tumbling bear!" "Look, an ice cream cone!" Our clouds are made of super-soft Minky Eyelash on the front and pure cool silver cotton on the back... a silver lining, I guess. We provide our own cloud drawing as a guide, but feel free to make one in the shape of a tumbling bear.

This year, we have a new series we've started with our friends at Free Spirit Fabrics. We call it: Artist Trios. In the coming months, you'll get the chance to 1) meet some fabulous Free Spirit designers, 2) try out a special project each will create just for Sew4Home, and 3) maybe win some of their gorgeous fabrics. Easy and fun as 1-2-3. Earlier this week, we introduced you to our debut Artist, Jenean Morrison. Today, she shares her original patchwork pillow pattern.

It's been Spring Break around here, which meant we've seen a lot of folks on a lot of road trips. It reminded us how challenging it can sometimes be to travel with young kids, and so we thought this would be a good time to take a second look at a project we posted last October. This soft and sweet nap time pad, featuring its own built-in blanket, rolls up with a handle-tie strap. It's the perfect portable snooze pad to toss in the car as you head off on vacation. Having a 'staycation' instead? No problem, roll it out at home or tote it to daycare. Soft flannel and cushy batting make for sweet daytime dreams wherever you go.

Truth be told, these pillows are not actually triangles, they are tetrahedrons. But not only is that impossible to say, it sounds like a scary flying dinosaur - not what it really is: a cute pyramid pillow. We found these unique pillow forms from online resource, Downlite. Each pillow (we provide templates for a small 14" and a large 16") is made up of 16 triangles, and because we paid extra attention in Geometry class, we were able to come up with a layout that, when folded and stitched together into its final 3-D shape, has different patterns aligned at every seam. Like a little tetrahedron Rubik's Cube.

This awesome pillow pattern debuted back in December 2009 and has maintained a consistent position on our Most Popular Projects list ever since. The bow tie shape is perfect for propping up your noggin while you watch TV or read in bed. And, we've gotten a number of emails from S4H fans who've made them for older relatives who LOVE the little pillows as gentle support for their necks while they sleep. They're easy to create despite their complex-looking shape; you can make one in less than an hour with just a half yard of fabric.

Sitting up takes sooooooo much work. Especially when the alternative is stretching out with the latest news and a super soft bolster pillow to gently prop your head. The third project in our Teen Pretty Pack trio is this extra long, extra soft bolster/neckroll pillow. We used Minky Marshmallow for our center panel trimmed with the beautiful swooping birds of Michael Miller Fabric's Bonnes Amies. I'm sure our model has finished her homework and is just relaxing. At least... I'm pretty sure.

This is exactly the project you've been waiting for: the Zero Calorie box of Valentine's chocolate! Our theme of chubby holiday hearts continues with these plump little pillows. We added a pleated chiffon sash across the center to give them the look of the classic heart-shaped boxed of assorted chocolates. Secret Tip: hidden inside layers of batting and muslin keep our hearts smooth and round. They are fast and easy to make and take just small cuts of fabric; use used Fat Quarters of Hoopla by Moda for ours. They'll make a perfect gift for everyone you love, because just like Forrest said, "Life is like a box o' chocolates!"

Did anyone ever try to teach you origami? I'll wager a paper crane was your first, and maybe your only, project. So here's your little known fact for the day: origami is Japanese paper folding; its predecessor is the Chinese paper art called zhe zhi. The graceful crane is revered in China as the symbol for longevity. Although often depicted in flight, the four pleats of our Standing Crane Pillow, the last project in our Silk Color Block Pillows week, simulates the beautiful folded wings of a crane at rest. While you are resting, ponder today's Chinese proverb: 
Better the cottage where one is merry, than the palace where one weeps.

The Chinese consider the tiger to be king of all the beasts and a symbol of powerful energy. Ancient myths tell of five tigers – white, black, blue, red and yellow – who hold the universe in perfect balance, preventing a collapse into chaos. Our fourth Silk Color Block Pillow is the Tiger Eye with five sharp box pleats representing the five tigers of protection. A hidden line of edgestitching keeps these pleats crisp and clean without any topstitching to disturb the beautiful surface of the silk dupioni. Today's Chinese proverb is: A gem is not polished without rubbing; nor a man made perfect without trials.

Light is to dark. Hot is to cold. Force is to passivity. Yin Yang describes how both sides of any coin must exist in order for the coin itself to remain whole. The third project in our week of Silk Color Block Pillows is our Yin Yang pillow with a swoosh of light against a line of dark. We show you have to make and insert a facing to produce a sharp, flat curve without topstitching. If you don't spend much time in the world of garment sewing, a facing with understitching may be a new technique for you. Something else new is today's Chinese proverb: Forget the favors you have given; remember those received.

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of arranging your surroundings to promote balance and comfort within the patterns of yin and yang and the flow of chi. We arranged the second pillow within our Silk Color Block Pillows week to showcase a perfect balance of light and dark. The front and back are mirror images so when you look at the pillow from the side, the colors meet and match each other. The steps of this pillow are quite easy; it's the attention to detail and the patience to make sure all the seams align perfectly that create the beautiful balance. That... and a really sweet invisible zipper. Today's Chinese proverb is: A closed mind is like a closed book, just a block of wood.