Navy Orange Peel Pillow Cover

Our editors find the clean lines and classic color palette of this quilted summer pillow cover to be so chic and stunning. Designed by Rachel Nielsen, this throw pillow cover uses a traditional orange peel pattern that gives this home décor project a retro look with a modern feel. Add this throw pillow pattern to your porch or sunroom to elevate your décor with sophisticated summer style.

Materials:

• 1/3 yard white fabric for background (assumes 40” WOF)
• 3/4 yard navy fabric for petals and envelope backing (assumes 40” WOF)
• 18 or 20 inch pillow form. Note: To make a fluffier pillow, it is recommended to size up 2″ from the finished pillowcase size
• 3/4 yard lightweight fusible interfacing (assumes 20” WOF)
• Thread (navy, to match the petal fabric)
• Point turner
• Cardstock or chipboard (optional)
• Iron and ironing board or mat
• Sewing machine
• Scissors and/or rotary cutter
• Soluble fabric marking tool (optional)
• PDF Template – This is located at the bottom of this page. Please see printing instructions below.

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Note: To download the template, click on the pattern download button at the bottom of the page. We recommend opening your pattern download using Adobe Acrobat.

Piecing Instructions:

PREPARING THE TEMPLATE:

1. Print out the template at 100% scale.
   
2. Cut out the orange peel along the solid line. If desired, you can glue the template onto a piece of sturdy cardstock or chipboard and cut out.

CUTTING THE FABRIC:

1. Cut two pieces of navy envelope fabric each measuring 14 inches x 18 1/2 inches and set aside.
2. Using the orange peel template, cut out 16 navy petals and 16 interfacing petals. Tip: You may find it helpful to trace the template onto the fabric using a soluble fabric marking tool first, then cut the templates out, rather than trimming directly around the template.
   
   
3. Cut (16) 5 inch white squares.
4. Tip: Fold over fabric and interfacing to cut through multiple layers at once. You can easily cut 4 layers of fabric or 6 layers of interfacing as long as the fabric is pinned together well to ensure cutting accuracy.

Making the Orange Peel Blocks:

1. Cut a slit in the center of one interfacing petal, about 2-3 inches long.
   1. Place the wrong side of the interfacing petal (the “bumpy” adhesion side) touching the right side of one navy petal.
   2. Stitch around the perimeter of the petal using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, backstitching at the start and end.
   3. Trim off the points of the petal, taking care not to cut through the seam allowance.
2. Trim around the edge 1/8 inch from the stitching.
3. Turn the petal right side out through the slit in the interfacing, and use a point turner to carefully poke out the points of each petal. The “bumpy” side of the interfacing should now be on the outside of the petal backing.
4. Center the petal diagonally on a 5-inch square. Press with a hot iron to adhere.
   1. Topstitch 1/8 inch around the petal.
   2. Repeat this process to create a total of (16) petal squares.

Assembling the Orange Peel Blocks:

Sew all seams with 1/4 inch seam allowance.

1. Lay out (4) petal squares with points facing inward to make an X shape.
2. Sew the top squares together into a row.
3. Sew the bottom squares together into a row.
4. Press the seams of each row in opposite directions.
5. Sew the rows together, nesting the seams to make (1) orange peel block.
6. Repeat this process to make a total of (4) orange peel blocks.

Making the Pillow Top:

1. Arrange the four blocks in a 2 x 2 grid.
2. Sew the top blocks together into a row.
3. Sew the bottom blocks together into a row.
4. Press the seams of each row in opposite directions.
5. Sew the rows together, nesting the seams to make the pillow top.

MAKING THE ENVELOPE PILLOW:

1. Along one 18 1/2 inch end of each navy envelope fabric, press under 1/4 inch, then press under another ¼ inch.
2. Topstitch along the edge.
   
   
3. Place the pillow top right side up. Place one navy envelope fabric right side down, with the sewn edge in the center of the pillow top and align the three raw edges with the pillow top on the top, side, and bottom edges.
4. Stitch along the side edge only with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, backstitching at the start and end.
5. Repeat on the opposite side.
   
6. Next, lay all the layers flat and pin or clip in place to secure. The navy envelope pieces will overlap in the center of the pillow top.
7. Stitch along the top and the bottom using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, backstitching at the start and end. Tip: You may wish to also backstitch across the overlapping portions of the envelope pieces to further strengthen the seams.
8. Turn the pillow right side out.
9. Insert the pillow form.

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