"Home is Where the Heart Is" DIY Pillow

Hello Crafty Friends! I have a sweet pillow idea for you. I moved to the state of Washington late last year and I'm loving it. Everything about this place makes me happy and I'm surprised by how I feel like I've finally "come home" when I never lived here before. Of course, a new house means lots of nest fluffing, so I created this "Home is Where the Heart Is" pillow to not only decorate my new home, but also put my feelings about my new hometown on display. I am using this pillow on my outdoor porch, so I used my favorite fabric - a canvas drop cloth! You can buy huge drop cloths at your local hardware store. They are very inexpensive and very durable, so they are perfect to have on hand for projects like these. If you don't sew, just buy yourself a linen pillow cover and follow the same directions.

Supplies:

• Joy Classic Monograms - you can find Joy products in your local craft or sewing store.
• Joy Emojis
• Canvas drop cloth
• Inkjet iron-on paper
• Basic sewing supplies

Instructions:

1. Using your favorite pillow pattern, cut out the fabric pieces.
2. Download an outline of your state from the web. There are tons out there, just make sure they are copyright-free!
3. Cut out your state. Be sure to to cut out INSIDE the state lines too. You can't iron-on the Joy patches over other iron-on images.
4. Follow the instructions on the package to iron the image onto the front piece of your pillow. My image didn't transfer completely because I was using drop-cloth material. But there are no mistakes in crafting! I decided I liked the look because I was trying to get an old, farmhouse look and the image transfer "mistake" made that happen!
5. Place a heart on the map where your hometown is located. Iron it on. Again, be careful not to put the iron over the map image or you will have a sticky mess!*

   

6. Iron your monogram letters, spelling out your city's name, next to the heart. Be sure to also put a pressing cloth over the letters. This will give you the best results when ironing on Joy products!
7. Finish sewing up your pillow and enjoy!

*Designer Tips:

• If you are worried about using an iron-on image, just use a fabric transfer pencil to outline the state image and then embroider it onto your fabric.
• Whether you use the iron-on technique or a fabric transfer pencil, don't forget to flip the image before you transfer it or your state will transfer facing backwards.