Scotty Dog Pillow Cover ... simplicity itself!

Sometimes I think I am in danger of losing myself in complicated processes and forgetting how effective a simple concept can be.

I am at the moment in the process of creating a new applique/embroidery pattern for a bowl of nasturtiums - oranges, yellows and a blue bowl .... it's going to be really nice.. and in the end will be simple to create - it's the process of putting the design together, then breaking it down again into templates and instructions that is the complicated part. I was looking for a good supplier of felt for the nasturtiums and came across Annie at the Felt Fairy - she stocks a wonderful range of 70 different colours! She also has a great blog and, as you do, I started reading. Some time later I came across a post about bag handles which made me sit upright very suddenly!

It wasn't the bag handles ... but this tea towel .... yes, scotties! And so, I thought, what about applique scotties on a cushion cover? So I made a template and cut out some scotties.

When I laid them out they looked nice - but that was all, just nice. Then, I thought, what about introducing a touch of romance? So I did ... and now I think the cover looks quite special. A bit of boy meets girl works every time! And if you'd like to make your own cushion (or pillow) cover then you can download the free Scotty template here.

I've included a picture of the finished design, but haven't given any detailed instructions as I think it will be quite straightforward to follow from the photograph. I used Bondaweb to fuse the scotties to the linen, then worked around the edges in blanket stitch using three strands of embroidery floss. I worked the blanket stitch around the floral scotties in the same colour to make the whole more harmonious - it's a slightly lighter shade of blue than the boy scotty. The heart is cut out in felt and the blanket stitch is red. I used a Cath Kidston fabric to back the pillow and a simple envelope closure.

Hope you like it!