Pom Pom Heart Love Pillow

I have a fun project that all started with some red pompom trim I wanted to use for ....something....  And what better for pom pom trim then a festive pillow - so the Pom Pom Heart Love Pillow was born...

And lucky you, I have a tutorial on it, including showing you how to sew pom pom trim onto a pillow.

Gather some fabric (size depending on the size you want your pillow), pom pom trim, fusible webbing (wonder under or heat n bond), and embroidery floss.

Cut 2 square of out of main fabric the size you want your pillow.  Mine is about 14 inches square.

Then cut out your hearts to fit on your square.  I cut 8 red and 1 aqua.  Then you'll want to cut 9 hearts of the same shape out of your fusible web - 

Iron the fusible web, shinny side down, onto the back of each heart.  Then peel the paper backing off.  This will leave a layer of "glue" on each heart:

Next position the hearts - I used a ruler to make sure they were lined up correctly:

 Now, the reason for the fusible webbing - iron all of the hearts into place.  The fusible webbing will help them stay put - nice and flat - and not wrinkle or shift when you sew:

 Machine stitch around each heart to secure it to the pillow:

Now, you could stop there, but I went ahead and used embroidery floss to hand-stitch the outline of each heart.  I thought it added depth and character to the project.  But it was the longest part of this whole project, so if you're short on time, it could be omitted.  I opted for it because I knew I had book club that night and would be sitting and open to working on a project (what next - am I going to be that lady who brings a crochet bag to church?!?)   I went around the red hearts in aqua and around the aqua heart in red:

 And then I used red to embroider the word "love" into the aqua heart:

Now, how to attach pom pom trim to a pillow - - first sew it around the edge of the front of the pillow:

Just bend it around when you get to a corner:

 At the beginning and end, you'll want to hang the tail off just a little, like so:

And it should look like this when you're done with that step:

At that point, with right sides together. you are going to sew the back of the pillow to the front.  Leave a few inches open to be able to turn the pillow right-side out.  If you sew where you can see the stitch line of the attached trim, then you can aim for slightly inside that line - that will give your seam perfect placement.  When done, clip your corners as shown:

Turn right-side out and stuff (I often use old pillows for stuffing - the ones that are too flat to sleep on so they get replaced - just cut them open and it's a stuffing paradise).  Then hand-stitch the opening closed.  That's it!

 I love the hint of aqua -- and it fits in with my decor:

It's so fun and adds a hint of Valentine's without being too much so - -

Random backed-out shot in case you think my photos are fancy - because they're not.  Ironman is even taking pictures of my projects with the tablet - future blogger??

I know Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, but this is such a fun project, you can get it done in time!  Enjoy!!