Make a Tie-Dye Heart Pillow!

By Janis Bullis

You may be inspired to make this pretty pillow for Valentine’s Day, but it’s so sweet that you’ll want to keep it on your bed all year round! The concentric heart designs on the pillow are made by hand-stitching with thread, gathering the thread, and then wrapping the stitching with rubber bands. This form of tie-dyeing uses hand stitching in combination with rubber bands to create a resist that results in intricate patterns and shapes.

Note: Finished pillow measures 13” wide with a 2 ½” fabric ruffle.

SUPPLIES FOR DYEING:

• Rit Liquid Dye, Fuchsia

• 3/4 yd. white 100% cotton fabric

• Measuring cup & measuring spoons

• Spoon for stirring dye

• Large 1 gallon container for dyeing

• Rubber gloves

• Rubber bands (pony tail size for tying hearts and larger size for marbling)

• Plastic wrap

• Plastic table cover

SUPPLIES FOR SEWING:

• Fiberfill stuffing

• Sewing thread

• Ruler or yardstick

• Straight pins

• Hand needle

• Shears

• Fabric marking pen

• Paper for making heart patterns

• Tracing paper or plastic template sheet

MAKING HEART PATTERN:

1. Fold a large sheet of paper in half and draw 4 half heart shapes, as shown. The largest is for the pllow shape (6 ¾” wide by 12 ¼” in length). The 3 smaller hearts ( 2 ½”, 5”, 7”) are for marking stitching lines for tie-dyeing. Cut out the largest heart and trace off the 3 smaller hearts on tracing paper or template plastic. Cut out each heart individually.

CUTTING & PREPARING FABRIC:

1. Launder, dry and iron fabric. This will remove any finishes that may prevent absorption of the dyes.

2. Cut 2 large heart shapes for the pillow (½” seam allowances are included). Cut 2 strips, each 6” wide by 44” long for the ruffle.

3. On one heart fabric piece, trace three heart shapes using a fabric marking pen, beginning with the largest and centering each one inside the other.

4. Using white thread, hand-baste (short running stitches) on the line of each traced heart shape. Knot thread and begin stitching at point of heart. Then continue stitching around heart. Do not knot other end; leave a long tail for gathering.

5. Gather up each heart by pulling on basting thread. Push your finger through the center to puff up the fabric. Tie ends of thread into a knot. Wrap a pony tail rubber band around each gathered thread twice, creating a narrow tube of fabric.

6. To make ruffle: Stitch together short ends of each fabric strip together, creating a continuous loop. Press seams open and press loop in half lengthwise. Pin fabric together along long cut edge. Using a long machine stitch, baste fabric together ¼” from long cut edge, begin and end stitching at two seams, leaving thread tails to gather.

7. Crumple up remaining heart fabric piece into a ball shape and wrap with rubber bands. Crumple up tubular strip into a ball and wrap with rubber bands. The tighter the rubber bands are wrapped the more white areas there will be.

DYEING FABRIC:

1. Cover table with plastic table cover.

2. Fill container with 3 quarts of very hot water (140º F). Wearing rubber gloves, shake liquid dye bottle and measure 1 ½ teaspoons of Fuchsia dye and pour into water; stir. Note: If water is not hot enough, heat water in a tea kettle or in the microwave.

3. Wet tied pillow front, pillow back and ruffle in warm water. Then immerse in dye bath. Using a spoon, push and stir wrapped fabric pieces in dye solution to help dye penetrate the fabric. Let set for 10 -15 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally.

4. Wearing rubber gloves, remove tied fabric pieces from dye bath. Rinse in cool water. Cut rubber bands and remove basting thread on hearts. Do not cut basting stitches on ruffle. Then wash in warm water with mild detergent, rinse, dry and iron fabric pieces.

SEWING PILLOW:

1. Gather up ruffle by pulling on basting threads, adjusting ruffle to fit around heart piece. With raw edges even, pin ruffle to pillow front, distributing fullness evenly around perimeter of pillow. Machine baste ruffle to pillow front, using a 3/8” seam allowance.

2. With right sides together, pin pillow front to pillow back with ruffle sandwiched in between all edges. Stitch using a ½ seam allowance, leaving a 6” opening along one side of heart for turning pillow.

3. Turn pillow to right side through opening. Stuff pillow with fiberfill. Hand stitch opening closed.