Nancy Zieman Productions Announces The 2021 Pillow Sewing Challenge and Palette Pillow Sewing Tutorial

Nancy Zieman Productions Announces The 2021 Pillow Sewing Challenge and Palette Pillow Sewing Tutorial

The Nancy Zieman Productions Team is excited to announce the 2021 Pillow Sewing Challenge, taking place March 2 – March 30, 2021! All sewers, quilters, and machine embroiderers are invited to participate in the Nancy Zieman Productions 2021 Pillow Sewing Challenge. Brainstorm, browse, design, and plan. Then, sew a pillow! Enter the NZP 2021 Pillow Sewing Challenge by emailing one pillow photo to Team NZP at [email protected].

Make a pillow to showcase your sewing talents. Entries may be for any occasion, any color, or any size (finished pillow must fit on a sofa or comparable household furniture). Sew a pillow using as much imagination as you like. You may enter ONE pillow: Pillow must be completed within the last year and may not have been entered into previous Nancy Zieman Productions Pillow Sewing Challenges.

How to Enter

2021 Nancy Zieman Productions Pillow Sewing Challenge Guidelines

• Select or create your design. All sewing, quilting, serging, machine embroidery, and/or embellishment techniques are eligible. Pillow must be made within the last year and may not have been entered into previous NZP Pillow Sewing Challenges.
• How to enter: Send ONE high-resolution quality image of your finished Pillow to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Include your full name, hometown, and a sentence or two about your Pillow.
• One entry per person; open to US residents in the 48 contiguous states only.
• All Pillows will be judged, and winning entries will receive a prize from our generous sponsors! Explore the full list of prizes, totaling over $650 (see below).

Make sure you are subscribed to Nancy Zieman Productions E-Newsletter—so you won’t miss a thing. Sign up today! Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

• Grab our Pillow Sewing Challenge blog badge and let your friends know about this fun Sewing Challenge.
• Share your progress and projects on your social media sites using the hashtag #NZPPillowChallenge2021

Schedule:

• March 2, 2021—Pillow Challenge Kick Off
• March 25, 2021—Pillow Challenge Entry Deadline
• March 26, 2021—A Panel of Judges Review Entries
• March 30, 2021—Winners Announced! All decisions made by judges are final.

Palette Pillow Sewing Tutorial

Approximate finished size: 18″ x 18″

Palette Pillow Tools & Supplies

Sew a Palette Pillow with Wildflower Boutique Fabrics and Knit Jersey Fabrics! Make our Palette Pillow in just 2 hours, with just two seams! Instantly update your décor and sew a new pillow with an unexpected knit fabric backing. The knit jersey offers give–and–stretch for ease in tucking the pillow form through the envelope-style pillow back. This is a great project for first-time sewers — and it’s almost effortless to make!

Watch Stitch it! Sisters Program 111: Nancy Zieman’s Absolute Easiest Way to Sew Pillows: Palette Pillow!

Watch Stitch it! Sisters Program 111 – Palette Pillow Video with hosts Deanna Springer and Dana Casey. In this video, the Stitch it! Sisters share step-by-step fabric cutting and sewing techniques for making our Palette Pillow with just one fabric rectangle and one fabric square!

Then, head over to ShopNZP.com and choose from three exclusive Limited-Edition Palette Pillow Bundle Boxes designed by the Stitch it! Sisters! Our  Palette Pillow Bundle Boxes feature, Wildflower Boutique Fabrics! by Riley Blake Designs. Our convenient Palette Pillow Bundle Boxes with Pillow Form Insert include ALL SUPPLIES NEEDED to make one 18-inch Palette Pillow! You’ll supply the thread.

What is a Palette Pillow? The Stitch it! Sisters named our Palette Pillow for the pillow’s front flat fabric surface, which is an ideal area — or “palette” — to showcase a variety of fabrics or techniques. Simply feature a beautiful fabric print – as we did with this pillow, or choose leftover 18″ quilt block. Try a new technique when making your next Palette Pillow: Prior to sewing your pillow together, decorate the square front fabric “palette” with ribbons, trims, buttons, applique techniques, thread embellishment, machine embroidery, and/or nearly any embellishments you’d like – you’re the designer!

Palette Pillow Sewing Tutorial

Approximate finished size: 18″ x 18″

Palette Pillow Tools & Supplies

• • •  Team Nancy Zieman’s Absolute Easiest Way to Sew Pillows: Palette Pillow Bundle Box
    • Clover’s Hot Ruler
    • Clover’s Point 2 Point Turner
    • Clover’s Rotary Cutter & Mat, and ruler
    • Clover’s Bordeaux Scissors
    • June Tailor’s Eze-View Pressing Cloth
    • Clover’s 6-in-1 Stick ‘n Stitch Seam Guide
    • Clover’s I Sew For Fun Heart-Shaped Pins
    • Schmetz Universal Size 90 Needle
    • June Tailor’s® Starch Savvy

Pre-shrink coordinating fabrics by steaming and pressing, and steaming and pressing a second time, and then spray press and starch fabric with June Tailor’s Quilter’s Starch Savvy — press and starch, press and starch.

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Palette Pillow Sewing Tutorial

 Prepare Fabrics from the NEW! Palette Pillow Bundle Box. We’re featuring our Wildflower Boutique Mosaic Teal Bundle Box.

 Sew our Palette Pillow with our easiest ever sewing techniques, and Classic Timesaving Tips by Nancy Zieman, and see how using the right tools makes the sewing process enjoyable, even for beginners!

Note: All seam allowances are 1/2″.

Cut Fabric and Interfacing:

• • • Cut one 19″ x 19″ square Wildflower Boutique Mosaic Teal Fabric for Pillow “Palette” Front.

• • • Cut one 19″ x 46″ rectangle Yellow Stretch Jersey Knit Fabric for Pillow Back.

• • • Cut one 19″ x 19″ square Pellon Sof-Shape Interfacing.

• • • Cut TWO 4″ x 19″ rectangles Pellon Easy-Knit Interfacing.

• Following manufacturer’s instructions, press Easy-Knit Interfacing rectangles to short ends of Pillow Back/Yellow Stretch Jersey Knit Fabric.

• Fold Pillow Back rectangle, right sides together, meeting short ends. Place a pin at fold — marking center. Repeat placing pin at opposite folded edge. Set aside.

To find the right side of single knit jersey fabric, pull along the crosswise grain — the knit curls to the right side.

• Following manufacturer’s instructions, press Sof-Shape Interfacing square to back of Pillow “Palette” Front/ Wildflower Boutique Mosaic Teal Fabric.

Adhere interfacing to wrong side of Pillow “Palette” Front, using an Eze-View Press Cloth. Be sure to steam and press, and use a spray mist bottle to add moisture to the pressing cloth during the fusing process!

• Position Pillow “Palette” Front fabric square wrong side up on ironing board.
• Using Clover’s Hot Ruler, press under 1/2″ toward fabric back, along top and bottom edges only.

• Fold Pillow “Palette” Front, right sides together, meeting pressed under edges. Place a pin at fold — marking center. Repeat placing pin at opposite folded edge.

• Align Pillow “Palette” Front wrong side to center of Pillow Back right side, matching center marking pins. Pin Pillow “Palette” Front to Pillow Back.

Be sure to position Pillow Palette Front to Pillow Back — aligning “cut edges” of Pillow Palette Front to “cut edges” of Pillow Back.

• • • Using a Schmetz Universal Size 90 Needle, topstitch Pillow “Palette” Front to Pillow Back around all four edges of Pillow “Palette” Front.

• • • Using Clover’s Hot Ruler, turn under 2″ on each narrow end of Pillow Back; pin.

• • • Using a wobble stitch, stitch (or hem) narrow ends of Pillow Back — near cut edges, at both ends.

The “Wobble” Stitch! Use a “wobble” stitch when sewing knits. A wobble stitch is a very narrow zigzag stitch, that appears as straight stitching on the right side of the seam. Set machine for a zigzag stitch with a 2.5 length and .5 width.

• Fold Pillow Back top over Pillow “Palette” Front, right sides together — folding along top edge of Pillow “Palette” Front. Fold Pillow Back bottom upwards — folding along Pillow “Palette” Front lower edge, covering Pillow Back top. Pin at side seams.

• Stitch side seams with 1/2″ seam allowance — creating an envelope pillow cover.

 Use Clover’s 6-in-1 Stick ‘n Stitch Guide for accurate straight stitched seams. Simply align fabric edge to this repositionable guide.

• Turn pillow cover right-side out using Clover’s Point 2 Point Turner, and shape pillow corners.

• Insert Pellon’s 18″ Throw Pillow Form through Palette Pillow Back envelope opening.

Join the 2021 Nancy Zieman Productions Pillow Sewing Challenge!

Over $650 in prizes! Thank you to our generous 2021 Pillow Sewing Challenge Sponsors!

 

• Clover-USA: Bordeaux Ultimate Shears 130, 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge, No Hassle Triangle’s Gauge, The Ultimate Quilt n’ Stitch Presser Foot, I Sew For Fun Heart Shape Magnetic Pin Caddy, I Sew For Fun Retractable Seam Ripper, I Sew For Fun Heart Shape Pins, I Sew For Fun Clip ‘n Glide Bodkin, I Sew For Fun Spring Tape Measure, I Sew For Fun Roll & Press and I Sew For Fun Point 2 Point Turner. $194 value

• Riley Blake Designs: 16″ Sue Daley Rotating Circular Cutting Mat, Fat Quarter Bundle Oh Happy Day! by Sandy Gervais,  10″ stacker Painter’s Watercolor Swirl by J. Wecker Frisch, Mister Spray Bottle, Lori Holt Cute Cuts Ruler set, Cindy’s Seam Ripper, Magnetic Pin Tin and Lori Holt Stork Scissors. $180 value

• June Tailor: Quilt As You Go Pillow Covers(3 designs), Quilt As You Go Cosmetic Bags with White Zippity Do Done Zippers(small and large) and Reversible T-Shirt Quilt Kit. $136 value

Nancy Zieman Productions: Dresden Columns Table Runner Bundle Box. Including: NEW! Dresden Columns Table Runner/Wall Hanging Pattern, Riley Blake Cotton Fabrics, Clover’s Ultimate Quilt ’n Stitch Presser Foot by Nancy Zieman and I Sew For Fun Heart-Shaped Pins. $72 value

• Stitch it! Sisters: NEW! Modern Floating Triangles Wall Hanging/Table Runner Bundle Box. Including: NEW! Modern Floating Triangles Wall Hanging/Table Runner Pattern, Riley Blake Cotton Fabrics and Clover’s Ultimate Quilt ’n Stitch Presser Foot by Nancy Zieman. $62 value

• C&T Publishing: Gift card to ctpub.com A $50 value

Shop Exclusive Palette Pillow Bundle Boxes at ShopNZP.com

The randomly selected winner of a Stitch it! Sisters 5″ Short Stack with S!S button & sticker, from the February 19 & 23 Blog Posts, NEW! Stitch it! Sisters Wrap It Up! Casserole Carrier Program 205 and NEW! Stitch it! Sisters Wrap It Up! Casserole Carrier Sewing Tutorial is Hazel Davidson.

Her comment is: Who couldn’t use a Red & Yellow casserole carrier to transport your dish for that next church Pot Luck dinner! I certainly could and would love to use with pride as red is my favorite color.