You might be thinking, "Too many buttons....I'm not taking the time to sew all those on!"
But wait! I have an exciting new method to secure all those shank buttons, so you'll never be afraid to button-ify a pillow again....
To make this pillow, start by cutting 3 black rectangles: 2 @ 15" x 8.5" and 1 @ 15" x 5". These are the sides and center of the pillow.
For the ruffles, cut 2 strips of contrasting fabric (I used cream) @ 3.5" x 35"
For the accent trim on ruffles, cut 2 strips of fabric @ 1.5" x 35" NOTE: If you want the accent strip to be wider, cut 2 strips @ 2" x 35".
You'll need a piece of stiff, fusible interfacing (I like Pellon Decorbond #809) cut @ 4.5" x 14.5" to stabilize the center panel prior to attaching buttons.
Also needed: Lots of fabric-covered buttons with shanks, and 2 strips of ribbon 15" long each....and a hot glue gun.
1) Use 1/4" for all seams in this project. Stitch the accent trim, with right sides facing, along one side of each ruffle strip.
Press seam toward accent fabric. With wrong side facing up, turn under 1/4" of the raw, unsewn edge of accent strip.
Then fold strip in half lengthwise to completely hide the original seam, which is pressed away from ruffle. Stitch close to original seam to secure the folded edges of accent fabric. Press well.
2) Create gathers in ruffle strip by using basting stitch on machine. Pull the bobbin thread to gather fabric sufficiently to fit along the 15" measurement of the black side pieces.
Place gathered ruffle strip, FACE UP (as opposed to right sides facing) on top of the face up side piece. Arrange gathers to fit, pin, and stitch in place. Repeat with other side. Gently flatten the ruffles a bit with your hot iron to create creases in the ruffles.
3) Fuse the interfacing on the backside of center piece, leaving 1/4" on all sides free of interfacing.
4) Place the center piece, face down, on top of one side of the ruffle+side piece. Pin and stitch together, then press the seam toward center. Repeat with other ruffle+side piece.
5) Stitch ribbon in place on both sides of center, sewing both long edges of each ribbon.
6) Place the fabric covered buttons where you want them to go, leaving at least 1.5" on top and bottom without buttons or you'll have a hard time trying to sew the pillow together later on.
Use a marker or fabric pencil and carefully put a dot beneath each button where the shank touches the fabric.
Moving one button at a time, carefully poke through the fabric+interfacing at each marked dot with a tiny Xacto knife or other very small, poky tool. If the hole/slit is too big, you'll struggle later on. Gently push/coax the shank of the button through the fabric+interfacing. If the hole is small, the button will stay in place for now.
7) When all buttons are pushed through, carefully turn fabric over to access all the shanks poking through the backside.
8) Using a hot glue gun, squirt a small but generous blob of hot glue around each shank, making sure that the glue oozes inside the little loop of the shank to hold it in place and keep the fabric from fraying around the hole. Let harden thoroughly.
9) Stitch the raw ends of the ruffle in place in all 4 places.
10) For the backing, cut 2 rectangles that are the same height as the pillow front (15") but the width is determined by adding about 3" to whatever the half point is on the pillow. In this case, the pillow front is 15" high x 21.5" wide. I cut 2 rectangles at 15" x 14" (14 = 11 + 3).
Press under 1/4" of one of the 15" edges on each rectangle. Press under again to hide the raw edges. Stitch along that "hem".
Place pillow front face up on table. Place the 2 rectangles face down, aligning outer raw edges so that there is about a 3" overlap over the middle of the pillow. Pin in place all around outer edge of pillow.
Stitch 1/4" all the way around, clip corners to reduce bulk. Turn right side out, press edges. Insert pillow form and you're done!
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