Machine Embroidery Mother's Day Pillow with Lace

Show Mom how much she is appreciated with this machine embroidered pillow with lace.  This Mother's Day pillow features machine embroidered words that describe a Mother and includes a flower in the middle.

The embroidered words include Wife, Doctor, Caretaker, Mentor, Wise,  Friend, Teacher, Superwoman, Chauffeur, etc. Many things any Mom has done at one time or another! 

The embroidery is surrounded by two fabric borders with a lace in between and the pillow is finished with an envelope backing.

We also have a similar Mother's Day Pillow with Cording and envelope backing that also features a Mother Embroidery collage.  Click the link if you prefer to make that pillow. 

Mom is sure to love this pillow with either the lace or the piping.  This would make a great Mother's Day Gift, birthday gift, or holiday gift.   Customize this pillow by picking a fabric your Mom would like.

These instructions will take you through all of the steps to make this pillow with lace.  Click the link below to watch our full video tutorial of the pillow with cording on YouTube.  Both pillows have a lot in common so the video for the pillow with cording can help with this pillow also.

We have created two versions of this Mother's Day pillow.  This tutorial is for the one on the left with lace.  The Mother's Day Pillow with Cording and envelope backing is on the right.

WHAT YOU NEED to make the Mother's Day Pillow

• 1/2 yard fabric for the embroidery area 
• 1-yard fabric for the border and back of the pillow
• 16" Pillow Insert
• Mother Embroidery Pattern from Anu-Tan Embroidery
• Lace or 5/32" Welting Cording (optional)
• Stabilizer - Both Sticky Back & Cut Away
• Machine Embroidery Thread - I used Exquisite Polyester Thread in Summer Colors
• Embroidery Machine
• Rotary Cutter, Mat & Rulers

Look at the end of this tutorial for links to purchase the supplies for this project including the embroidery pattern.

What is the best fabric to use for this pillow?

I looked in the decorator fabric section of the fabric store to find the fabrics featured in these pillows.  The fabric in the decorator section is thicker in weight and as pretty as the fabrics you can find in the quilting fabrics.  

The thing to watch for is that the decorator fabric sometimes changes patterns halfway across the fabric.  So, this is why this lace pillow has two different patterns!  I was able to purchase this fabric for $5.97 / yard as it was on the decorator remnant table.  So, this was a wonderful deal!

Be careful of larger prints that are in the decorator fabrics. They may be too large for this pillow.

Quilter's cotton can also be used for this pillow.  

How much do you overlap envelope pillows?

Envelope pillows can overlap anywhere between 3 and 8 inches.  Our envelope overlap in this tutorial is about 3 1/2" - 4".  To make a larger overlap, cut the backing fabric pieces larger than the 12" suggested.

INSTRUCTIONS to make this envelope pillow with piping

STEP 1: Cut Fabrics for this mother's day pillow

For this pillow with lace, cut the following from the fabric:

• Front Embroidery Fabric (white fabric in my pillow) - Cut one piece 10" x 10"
• Pillow Back Fabric - Cut TWO pieces 12" x 17 1/2" (the 17 1/2" direction is the width of the pillow.  To have a larger overlap than 3-1/2", add additional inches to the 12" measurement.  Every half-inch added, will add a 1" overlap.
• Inner Border - Two 2-1/2" strips by the Width of Fabric (WOF)
• Outer Border - Cut two 3" strips by Width of Fabric (WOF)
• 2 yards of 2" wide Lace - can be less wide

STEP 2: Stitch the Mother's Embroidery

Download the Mother's Day Lilies pattern from Anu-Tan Embroidery (find the link at the end of this tutorial) and load the pattern into your embroidery machine.

I embroidered the 6"x6" design because my largest hoop is 7" wide so this was the largest design I could embroider.  

For the embroidery, I used a layer of cut-away and a layer of tear-away stabilizer.  For both of the pillows I stitched, the design seemed to buckle a little on the flower near the center.  Since the flower is a dense design, I recommend using a sticky back stabilizer and a layer (or two) of cutaway stabilizers to try and keep the design from having a wave.

Even if it does have a bit of a wave in the design, it doesn't look bad in the finished pillow.

Load the hoop into the machine.  Use white bobbin fil in your bobbin and stitch the design.  The design comes with Mettler brand thread colors listed, but I wanted to try out my new package of DIME Exquisite Embroidery Thread in Summer Sizzle colors.  So, I selected my own colors.

If you would like to stitch with the same colors I used, look at the chart below.

Color Sequence with DIME Exquisite Polyester Embroidery Thread color numbers.

Color #	Exquisite Thread Color Number
1	ES317
2	ES377
3	ES529 - Trim Jump Threads
4	ES317
5	Used Metter 2674 - Medium-Dark Grey - Not in Summer Kit
6	Black - Not in Summer Kit
7	ES419
8	651 - Trim jump threads
9	Black - Not in Summer Kit
10	ES450
11	ES325
12	ES609
13	ES5555
14	ES528
15	ES1031
16	ES43
17	ES646
18	ES697
19	ES54
20	ES390
21	ES447
22	ES213

Once the embroidery is finished, remove the embroidery from the hoop and trim the stabilizers on the back.

Below is the finished embroidery.

Step 3 - Trim Embroidery fabric

Using the rotary cutter, mat & ruler, trim the embroidered fabric to be 8-1/2" square with the embroidery centered in the middle.

The finished Mother's Day pillow will have an 8" x 8" square in the center with the embroidery.

Step 4 - Sew on the inner Border

I cut the 2-1/2" border strips from the fabric following some of the lines already on the fabric.  The first border is the larger floral print.

Using one of  the 2-1/2" strips, sew on the side borders to the embroidered square using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Press the seams towards the border fabric.

Trim the borders even with the embroidered fabric along the top and bottom before adding the other borders.

Using the second strip of fabric, sew the top and bottom border onto the embroidered fabric completing the first border.  Trim the ends even with the sides so it's a square.  Press seams towards the border fabric.

Step 5 - Sew on the Lace and Outer Border

Cut a piece of lace the width of the sides of the square.  Pin the lace and then the 3" outer border fabric to the sides of the square with the right sides facing down.

Stitch the border and lace to the square with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Open the border and press the seam towards the outer border.

Add the top and bottom lace and border in the same way except by sewing a zig-zag edge over the raw edge of the lace ends.  This will keep it from fraying.  Alternatively, you can fold under the lace ends twice and stitch to finish the seam.

Open and press the seams towards the outer border.

The finished pillow front will look like the photo below.

Step 6 - Make And Attach Cording

If you are interested in adding cording to this pillow, please look at steps 5 & 6 in the Mother's Day Pillow with Cording tutorial.  

The below picture shows what the cording would look like.

Step 7 - Finish the back piece edges

The two back pieces will overlap on the back of the pillow by several inches.  This provides an opening for the pillow form to be inserted.  The pillow form can easily be removed if the pillow cover needs to be washed.

If your fabric is directional, lay the fabric on the table as it will be on the pillow.  Then finish the two inner edges.

Place the first piece of fabric right side down on an ironing surface.  To finish the edge, fold over the long, 17-1/2" edge 1/2" and iron flat.

Fold up again 1/2" and iron flat.  Use your steam iron or a product like Mary Ellan's Best Press to get a crisp ironed edge.  Pin along the edge to hold, if needed.

Finish the edge of the second piece in the same way.  Sew each of the folded edges down by stitching close to the inside edge as shown.  Use a straight stitch.

The two back pieces are ready to add to the pillow.

Step 6 - Pin Backing Pieces to the pillow

To complete the envelope pillow, lay the pillow right side up on a work surface.

Place one of the backing pieces, right side down across the pillow.  If your fabric is directional, be sure to place each piece in the correct position.  Line up the sides and bottom with the edges of the pillow.  The finished edge should be towards the center of the pillow.

Lay the second backing piece, right side down onto the pillow lining up the sides and top edge with the pillow top edges.  The finished edge of the backing should be towards the middle of the pillow.

Pin around the edge of the pillow, lining up the raw edges all around.

Step 7 - Sew the backing to the pillow

Sew around the edge of the pillow with a 1/2" seam allowance backtacking at the start and end.

Clip the corners to about 1/4" away from the stitching.

To keep the edge from fraying when laundering.  Finish the edge with a wide zig-zag stitch.  The left side should grab the fabric and the right side should go off the edge of the fabric.

Stitch all the way around the pillow to finish the edge.  

Step 8 - Turn the Mother's Day Pillow

Turn the Mother's day pillow right side out.  Push out the corners.

Take the pillow insert.

And put it into the pillow.  Be sure to get the corners of the pillow into the corners of the pillow cover.

Finished Mother's Day Pillow with Lace

The Mother's Day Pillow is complete! 

Here is a view from the back.

I hope you enjoyed this machine embroidery Mother's Day project and make one for a Mother you love.  Make one for a sister, friend, mother, or grandmother.  These make wonderful gifts!

Let us know what you think of our videos by commenting in the YouTube video comments.  We do answer questions!

Happy Mother's Day!

Chris

If you like pillows, check out these other pillow tutorials.

Nine Patch Pillow Tutorial - This format of this pillow is very similar to the pillow in this tutorial except it has eight square blocks around the center feature fabric.

How to sew a Reading Pillow - This pillow is an easy pillow with a pocket for books.  Wonderful for a book lover!