Pillows for the van

My mother-in-law acquires throw pillows like nobody’s business. And often, when she’s in purge mode, I am the beneficiary of the no-longer-needed ones. This week, I was given two 20-inch squishy down pillows that I thought would be nice in my van. I didn’t much care for the army green covers, but I knew just what to do about that…

Ever since I first saw some of those old VW buses decked out with granny square blankets, I have thought it would be fun to decorate the inside of my own wheels. Admittedly, a 2003 Pontiac Montana doesn’t have quite the same kitsch factor as a groovy VW bus, but who cares?

I have plans to someday put a pair of crocheted blankets in there (the granny square sampler may be destined for that when it’s finished) but for now I just have the mini-blanket I made last year with my grandmother’s squares spread out on the seat for decoration. It’s too small to adequately provide warmth, so we have a couple of cheap fleece blankets for that. I’m eager to replace them, but crocheting blankets takes time. Maybe by next summer I’ll have that all taken care of.

In the meantime, pillows are an easy thing. At least, they are if you follow directions. In other words, do as I say, not as I do.

Yeah, I sewed it totally inside-out.

The idea of ripping out the seams and starting over bores me to tears, so I am leaving it for now. I just hope “for now” doesn’t turn into “forever” as it sometimes does… Neil, who is kind of a party-pooper when it comes to flowery fabrics, thinks the pillow looks nicer inside-out. Of course he does. Men!

The details

Pattern: Mix & Match Pillows (by me!)

Modifications: Only that I used only one fabric rather than getting all mixy-matchy

Fabric: Pink Zinnia by Alexander Henry

Notes: The pattern gives specific measurements only for 18-inch pillows. FYI, for 20-inch pillows, you need a 21×21 piece for the front, a 21×21-inch piece for the back, and a 10.5×21-inch piece for the back. (Actually, I just used two 16×21-inch pieces for the back, instead of using two different size panels, because I am a rebel like that. Yeah.)