A quilt pillow is a simple way to turn a favorite block into handmade home décor that works in any season. By changing up fabrics and scale, the same design can feel cozy, classic, or playful throughout the year.
This quilt pillow was created for the Poppie Cotton Christmas Project Tour, where makers were invited to share festive projects using Poppie Cotton fabrics. While this version leans into seasonal color, the design choices behind it—fabric placement, contrast, and scale—are ones you can apply to quilt pillows year-round.
The quilt block featured on this pillow is called Shining Star, and it’s one of my favorite designs to use for home décor projects. The strong angles and movement naturally draw your eye toward the center, which makes it especially effective when used on a pillow front.
Instead of getting lost in a larger quilt layout, the block becomes the focal point when it stands alone. For pillows, wall hangings, or table décor, this style of block gives you a big visual payoff without a long time commitment.
👉 Get the Shining Star Quilt Block Pattern
Choosing Fabrics from Poppie Cotton’s “Oh What Fun” CollectionThe fabrics used for this pillow are from Poppie Cotton’s Oh What Fun collection. I was drawn to this line because it balances playful prints with softer tones, making it easy to create contrast without overwhelming the quilt block.
For the star, I mixed lighter prints with deeper blues to help define the shape and keep the design crisp. When working with a bold quilt block, thoughtful fabric placement is just as important as the block itself—pairing busier prints with calmer ones helps everything feel intentional and cohesive.
While these fabrics were chosen for a festive look, the same approach works beautifully with any color palette, making this style of quilt pillow easy to adapt for every season.
(Fabric was provided by Poppie Cotton for promotional purposes as part of the Christmas Project Tour.)
Turning the Quilt Block Into a PillowTo turn the quilt block into a pillow front, I added simple borders to bring the finished size up to fit an 18” pillow form. This is one of my favorite ways to adapt quilt blocks for home décor—it keeps the focus on the block while making the project practical and easy to use.
For the back of the pillow, I used my binding pillow method to create an envelope-style closure. This finish keeps the back clean and functional, avoids bulky closures, and makes it easy to remove the pillow form when needed.
If you’re curious about this finishing method, I’ve shared a full blog tutorial that walks through how I use binding to create a clean, envelope-style pillow back. It’s one of my favorite techniques for quilt pillows and gives a polished, professional finish while keeping the construction approachable.
👉 Read the Binding Pillow Blog Tutorial Here
Projects like this are a great reminder that a single quilt block can go a long way. By changing fabrics and color placement, the same design can feel seasonal or completely timeless.
If you’d like to recreate this look—or adapt it for your own space—you’ll find everything linked below:
If you enjoy sewing inspiration like this, you can also join my email list for project ideas, sewing tips, and beginner-friendly patterns delivered straight to your inbox.
Happy sewing,
Amanda
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Benartex Ambassador Project: 3 Must-Sew Bags with Farmers’ Market Fabric
Looking for bag projects that are as functional as they are beautiful? In this post, Amanda shares three beginner-friendly sewing patterns—the Sunset Zipper Pouch, Starry Tote Bag, and Let’s Eat Lunchbox—made with the cheerful Farmers’ Market fabric collection by Benartex. Get inspired to sew something useful, giftable, and totally handmade.
