St. Patrick's Day Pillow Sham!

For Christmas I decided to give my mom a gift of the seasons.  I made a pillow sham for Christmas and then promised a new sham for each season.  This is the pillow sham for March.  I wanted something that would reflect the colors of St. Patrick’s day but would work with her decor all month long. 

To make the pinwheel star-

Cutting instructions:

Choose two contrasting fabrics and a solid fabric.  I choose a white clover and a green polka a dot.  Out of the white clover I cut two 3 7/8” squares and four 3 ½” squares.  Out of the green fabric I cut two 3 7/8” squares, four 3 ½” squares, four 3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangles.

Sewing instructions:

1.  Draw a diagonal line across from corner to corner on back of clover fabric.

2. Layer two 3 7/8” squares of clovers right sides together with two 3 7/8” squares of green.  Sew a seam ¼” away from the line on both sides of the diagonal. 

Cut on line and press open.  

You should now have four 3 ½” squares.  This is the middle of our pinwheel.

3.  Sew four half flying geese blocks. Place clover 3 ½” block with right sides together on green 3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle.

  (make sure you look at the finished picture of this block to know which corner to place the clover square).  Sew on the diagonal line.  Fold fabric toward corner and press. 

Trim bottom two layers of fabric to ¼” from seam allowance.  Repeat for other three squares.

4.  Lay block out to look like finished block picture and sew together making sure seams match in sections.  Iron and trim to 12 inch block.

To make the sham-

Cutting instructions:

cut two 3” x 6 ½” rectangles out of green fabric.  Out of white fabric cut two 12 x 9 ½” rectangles, two 3” x 18 ½” rectangles, and two 14” x 11” rectangles.

5.  Sew the white 12” x 9 1/2” rectangle to both sides of your square. Press seams open.  Then, sew the white 3” x 18 ½” rectangles to the top and bottom of your square.  Press seams open.  Trim to measure 14” x 18”.  This is the front of your sham.

6.  Hem one side of the width of the rectangles measuring 14” x 11” so that they measure when hemmed 9 ¼”. 

7.  With right sides facing together lay the hemmed rectangles so that they slightly overlap in the middle on top of pinwheel square.  Pin and sew ¼” seam all the way around the edges.

8.  To make the ties with right sides facing together fold the green rectangles and sew ¼ inch seam all around but leave one side open.  Turn fabric right side out and press.  Tuck in raw edges of open side and sew onto wrong side of opening on each of the hemmed squares fabric.  Turn sham right side out place a 12"x 16" inch pillow in your sham and tie back close. 

 Enjoy your new bit of spring!