Pretty Parisian Pillows

Start by finding an Eiffel Tower template. Cut Two Pieces (http://www.cuttwopieces.com/2010_06_13_archive.html) has two great options for templates. Resize the template to fit your pillow. In my case, I used a 21x21 inch pillow, so I resized the template to be a height of 12 inches.

Cut a piece of fabric the same size as your pillow, plus about an inch in each direction. My fabric square was 22x22 inches. Next, cut two fabric rectangles, at the height of your pillow and half of the width plus 3 inches. My fabric rectangles were 15x22 inches. Use a straight edge and a fabric cutter (it looks like a pizza slicer!) for precision. Always make sure you cut the fabric away from your body...you don't want any trips to the ER! (No, I did NOT learn that the hard way.)

Trace the Eiffel Tower template onto paper-backed fusible web. Iron the fusible web onto black felt, making sure to iron both the front and back of the felt so the fusible web melts all the way. Once it's cool enough to touch, cut out the Eiffel Tower.

Remove the paper backing from the felt Eiffel Tower. Make sure the fusible web itself sticks to the felt. Position the felt Eiffel Tower onto the fabric square you cut earlier, and once you're satisfied with the positioning, iron it on. To be safe, iron both the front and back of the fabric square.

The fusible web should make the felt stick to the fabric, but if you think your pillow will get a lot of use, it's smart to applique the Eiffel Tower. Use a zig-zag stitch and black thread to sew over the edges of the Eiffel Tower.

Now that you've finished with the front of the pillow, it's time to create the back. Fold one long edge of a rectangle fabric piece under 1/2 inch, then fold that over 1/2 inch again. Sew along the edge using a zig-zig stitch. Repeat with the other rectangle fabric piece. Since my pillow was canvas, I used white thread for this part.

Lay the two rectangle pieces over the front piece, with the right sides (the sides you WANT to see when the pillow is finished) together. Make sure the edges you previously sewed overlap each other in the center. Pin the fabric for precision, then sew along all four outer edges with a straight stitch.

Snip off the extra fabric around the corners, then turn the pillow case inside out. Make the corners nice and sharp with a point turner--just avoid poking through the corners all the way!

Stuff your pillow into the pillow case. You may have to do a bit of tugging and pushing and fluffing, but eventually the pillow should cooperate.

The Parisian pillow is complete...good job!