This weekend I made an old skirt into a decorative pillow to go on Maya’s bed. A beloved skirt of mine that I bought about 15 years ago, and wore and wore, and wore. So much so that the seams at the sides were frayed and the seat was wearing thin. The front of the skirt had a beautiful hand embroidered image of two birds, surrounded by flowers, that I just love. When I first spotted this skirt I could not resist it. It was an expensive purchase for me at the time, costing about $100, (that long ago) but well worth it as for years and years it was a favorite. I am so happy that now the beautiful embroidery from the skirt will live on, as a cushion on my little girls bed.

I started this project by cutting off the waist band of the skirt, removing the elastic and the tie cord, and then un-picking all of the seams. With the fabric laid out in front of me I was then able to cut two squares for the front and back of the cushion cover. I then divided the back square in half and sewed seams so that they would become the opening pocket to insert the pillow. I made bias out of the scraps to sew on the edge of the pillow. As you will see I sewed the bias on by hand in red embroidery thread. I admire hand sewing and wanted to carry over the hand work of the embroidery into my process of finishing the cushion cover. I then used the draw string cord of the skirt as ties for the back of the pillow. Here is the finished product, and a photo of me wearing the skirt almost 4 years ago when Maya was 4 months old.