LOVE Letter Pillows featuring HeatnBond Fusible Interfacing

Spread some LOVE with Carla from Creatin’ in the Sticks.  She’s on the blog today to show you how to make LOVE Letter Pillows with HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE INTERFACING using fresh, beautiful fabrics from Sweet Bee Designs.

Love letters by Carla with sweet bee designs fabrics and heatnbong interfacing for Thermoweb

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I’m Carla and I have to tell you, these LOVE Letter Pillows are so fun to make you will be making them for everyone you LOVE.  With HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE INTERFACING  the letter pillows stay firm and hold their shape.  Use them for cushions or put them on a shelf to show your LOVE.   They are especially super cute in the Vintage Berries fabric collection by Sweet Bee Designs and will fit right in with my new farmhouse decor.  Moreover, this pattern is fat quarter friendly.  Let’s get started.

LOVE Letter Pillows featuring HeatnBond Fusible Interfacing

By Carla Henton at Creatin’ in the Sticks

Finished Size- each letter about 7” x 8 1/2”

Love Letter Pillow Supplies:

Heat n Bond Interfacing and Fleece for Love letters by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks using Sweet Bee Fabrics

Letter patterns – Download THE LOVE LETTERS pattern

1 – pkg. HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE INTERFACING Light Weight

HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE Fleece

(optional) 2 pkgs. ½” bias piping (red)

Thread – Aurifil 50 wt.  (#2270)

Fabric:  Vintage Berries by Sweet Bee Designs

1 fat quarter for pillow fronts (Bikes – grey)

1 fat quarter for pillow backs (or assorted fat quarters)

2 fat quarters for sides (cream)  (Cut 9:  2 ½” x length of fat quarter for sides of letters)

Other supplies:

Scissors
Clips and pins
needle
fiber fill for stuffing the pillow
ruler
iron (I love my Oliso Pro)
sewing machine and other general sewing supplies

Optional:  aquarium gravel to weight the letters for display

For each LOVE letter:

Supplies for one love letter pillow for thermoweb by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

First, cut 2 letters from fabric, one letter from fusible fleece (cut with wrong side of pattern up), and one letter from interfacing. Next, cut one 2 ½” x 1 yard of interfacing for each letter (cut an extra strip for the “O”.  Finally, cut one 2 ½” x WOF(2 strips cut the length of a fat quarter and stitched together yields one strip width of fabric) from fabric.  The “O” will need 2 strips of fabric and an extra half of a piece interfacing.  Use the other half of the interfacing to cover the whole strip of fabric for the “E” which uses the whole strip.
TIP:  After opening the package of HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE INTERFACING Light Weight, do not unfold the interfacing.  Slide the interfacing out of the package and cut five 2 1/2″ strips.  4 are used for the outside of  the letters and one is to be used for the inside of the “O”. Next, unfold the interfacing to cut out the 4 letters.TooltipText


Love Letter Pillow Instructions for each letter:

Step 1 –  Begin by fusing the 2 ½” strip of interfacing to the wrong side of the 2 ½” strip of fabric following the package instructions.  The interfacing strip is shorter than the fabric, but you won’t need the whole strip for “L” or “V”.  The “O” will require one strip for the outside and one  half for the inside.  The “E” will require a whole strip.  Just use the extra half strip of interfacing from the “O”  to cover the whole “E” strip.

The fleece will be on the back of the pillow front letter.   Fuse the fleece to the wrong side of the fabric letter (front). Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric letter (back).

Step 2 – If piping is desired, pin and stitch the piping to the front of the fleece backed letter with a ¼” seam with matching thread. For the inside corners, pinch the piping and pin without cutting the seam allowance of the piping.  Part of the seam allowance will be exposed on the finished pillow.

Pinning piping for love letter pillow for Thermoweb by carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Start stitching, but go slow and the corners will stitch out by pivoting the sewing machine needle at each corner.  Clip the seam allowances after all the stitching is complete. For the “O” inside curves, the piping will need to be slightly folded and eased around.

O piping close for Love Letter Pillows for Thermoweb by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Step 3 – Stitch the interface backed strip of fabric around the letter.  Trim the excess fabric away (the part that has no interfacing).  It is important to trim all selvages also.

Begin stitching 2” from the end of the strip and on a straight side of the letter.  (start anywhere on the “O”)  Back stitch at the beginning and begin stitching the strip around the letter with right sides together and ¼” from the edge.   It is important to remember to pivot the sewing machine needle at corners and slightly stretch the strip to ease around the corners.

Sew side strip for love letter pillow using heatnbond for Thermoweb by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Take the stitching slow and make the strip smooth by slightly stretching where needed.  Continue stitching around the letter until about 3” from the start and backstitch.  Remove the letter from the sewing machine and take to the iron.  Press both ends of the strip back, as shown, to mark where the strip meets.

side seam of Love Letter Pillow with heatnbond interfacing for Thermoweb by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

For the “O”, the seam will have to be finger pressed while the strip is upright for both the inner and similarly for the outer strips then pinned.

O side seams for Love letter pillows with interfacing for Thermoweb by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Pin the strip at the creases and then stitch on the line. Trim the extra strip tails to ¼” seam allowance, press, and pin the strip in place.  Then stitch the strip to the letter.

With sharp scissors, trim off all corners and clip all curves in the seam allowances up to the stitching.

For the “O”, press ¼” seam allowance on the edge of the inner circle as shown below.

Center of O folded to prepare for hand sewing for Love letter Pillows by Carla for Thermoweb

Step 4 – Use clips for the purpose of attaching the interface backed letter to the strip, right sides together.  Start at the top by finger pressing the strip at the corners of the “L” and the “V” to therefore mark the placement.  Likewise the “E” can be started at any branch by finger pressing the corners to mark the placement of the back letter.  To clip the backing on the “O” fold both “O”s in quarters and finger press with the intention of marking the placement of the outside strip.  Do not clip the middle.

Stitch ¼” from edge, starting on a straight side of the “L” , “V”, and “E”.  Back stitch at beginning and end and leave a 3” opening for turning the letter inside out later.  The “O” is turned inside out in the middle and consequently does require an opening.

Back clipped and opening marked for love letter pillows by Carla for Thermoweb

Meanwhile, continue by trimming off all corners and clip seam allowances on all curves and inside corners to stitching.

corners clipped on love letter pillow with Heatnbond interfacing by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Turn the letter right side out and push out all the corners to continue.

Step 5 – Finish each LOVE Letter Pillow.  Hand stitch the middle of the “O” before stuffing.  Turn it right side out and pin the inner strip to the back of the letter, right sides together, and then slip stitch ¾ of the circle to leave an opening for stuffing.

When the LOVE Letter Pillows are for display only, adding aquarium gravel to the bottom will add weight and make the letters stand up.  Add 2/3 cup of the gravel before stuffing with fiberfill.

Fill and stitch the love letter pillow for Thermoweb by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Now, stuff the letter with fiberfill making sure to push it into the corners.

Lastly, slip stitch the opening shut

Make all four LOVE Letter Pillows to demonstrate your LOVE!

Rustic picture of Love Letter Pillows by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks with HeatnBond and Sweet Bee Designs Fabic with watermark

4 Comments on LOVE Letter Pillows featuring HeatnBond Fusible Interfacing

  1. mary
    January 30, 2018 at 10:12 pm (6 years ago)

    These are so cute! Thanks for the tutorial and pattern.

  2. Janis
    February 19, 2018 at 4:41 am (6 years ago)

    I’m not a frequent sewer but would like to make these. Would they still work if pattern enlarged? Thank you for tutorial and pattern. x

    • admin
      February 19, 2018 at 1:45 pm (6 years ago)

      Hi Janis! Thanks so much for your question today. Carla provided the following: To make the letters larger, the strips would need to be cut larger and on the bias for more flexibility on corners and curves. Enlarging is not recommended with the measurements on this tutorial. Many thanks!

      • Janis
        February 19, 2018 at 4:45 pm (6 years ago)

        Thank you!