Denim Scrap Patchwork Pillow Tutorial

I'm a big fan of denim- there's a lot to love.  First of all it's made with indigo, so I obviously love that.  Indigo is a pigment dye which is why there are so many beautiful shades.  The whiskers on jeans and the ripple pattern on the hems of denim are all because the dye can wear off of the cotton. 

I've been one to collect denim, especially denim with NO stretch.  I have made a large size quilt from it and multiple wall hangings.  This left me with a lot of scraps of multiple shades of denim.  I came up with this raw edge denim pillow project to use up my scraps. 

I have noticed the raw edges are trending from  apparel to home fashion.  When everything in our world is mass produced by machines there is some thing so beautiful about a raw edge.  It seems down to earth and almost delicate.  

I sewed all the scraps together in strip patterns and then arranged them in a pleasing composition.  I played for a while with the color blocks of light and dark shades making sure that the led the eye around the whole pillow.  There's no wrong way to do it, but I think the composition is my favorite element of the "crazy quilt".  

I pinned them down on a 21x21" piece of dark wash denim and then stitched them down like an applique.  I've included some photos of my process here.  I also taught a workshop for FABSCRAP on how to make it.  I've uploaded the class video on my YouTube channel.  

If you make one, tag me on instagram @onyx_art_studios.  I'd love to see it!

Check out my Skillshare Classes and Online Workshops: 

How to Ice for Beginners: You can get a free 14 day trial of Skillshare Premium with this link: https://skl.sh/3xKUPJf

Indigo Tie Dye Shibori for Beginners: You can get a free 14 day trial of Skillshare Premium with this link: https://skl.sh/3mPXk83 

Live Online Shibori  indigo Tie Dye for Beginners: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shibori-indigo-tie-dye-for-beginners-virtual-workshop-tickets-104093582708?keep_tld=1

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