Why 12 Ferry Pillows you ask? Believe me, I have been asking myself the same question. In June, we had an “Art Walk” sale and I had 3 for sale. I thought I would commit to making a few more; 5 were paid for then and 6 were promised then. I wanted to get them done before the next Art Walk, this Saturday, and I did. It was fun, but spaced over a little more time might be better.
Some fun things about 12 Pillows
There are some fun things about the pillows. There are 53 pieces on each pillow = 636 pieces total. Then you need backing and batting for each in order to quilt each pillow. Also, there are two pieces to enclose the pillow (no zipper). So, we are now at about 672 pieces and two pillows had an extra border…so 676! Oh, yes, and 12 pillows. Fortunately, I had 2 from one of the customers. I ordered some from Joann’s and picked them up. I did this twice as I depleted their inventory and had to wait. Plus, pillows are bulky to carry back and forth on the ferry; splitting the order was perfect! And yes, the ferry is very similar to the one on the pillow.
Here’s Some of the Work
I assembled the units and they were ready to go.
Then I loaded a group on the frame to quilt. This was the second group and it worked out pretty well doing them right next to each other.
I used the pantograph Catching Bubbles by Christy Dillon of My Creative Stiches. I love the way this one looks. It looks fabulous for sky and water.
I then added the overlapping back and turned them inside out.
Will I do it again? I might. I am also thinking of a way to simplify it. I can rewrite the pattern a bit, and maybe find a grey/white stripe for the windows. If I cut out a lot of the piecing, it would make it simpler. All in all I spent about 12-14 hours on it. For now, I know I won’t commit to making any during the art fair this month, but maybe for next season I will make a few in the winter.
Coming Up on My Blog
Ultimate Travel Bag
Yoga Quilt #1
Diatom Quilted
Tips/Tutorials on the 22nd
Linky Parties
TGIFF
Finished or Not Friday
Favorite Monthly Finish
Can I get A Whoop Whoop?
Sew & Tell
Monday Musings
Fabric Stash
The pillows used a good chunk…believe it or not…8.5 yards!
Fabric in this month: 0 yards
Fabric out this month 9.5 yards
Fabric in this year: 61.75 yards
Fabric out this year: 89 yards
NET Fabric: -27.25 yards
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I think it was very smart to load them all together as a group on your longarm for quilting. Doing as much batch style as possible probably saved time, and cutting down on cutting those pieces seems like a great spot to focus on time for the future. Have fun at the art fair!
Great job, Kathleen! I just love that quilting design and quilting several at one time really helps the cause. Imagine loading 12 of them individually?! There would also be a lot more waste doing them one at a time. I can see why they’re popular. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne
These are beautiful Kathleen.
One idea might be to see the pillow cover and not have to carry/order the pillow inserts? Not sure if that would lessen your work? Super cute though.
You’ve done well, and I enjoyed reading the stats! I hope they all sell!
You really did well on those pillows. I would think that it took more than 14 or 15 hours but most people don’t realize how much work goes into handmade items. That is a unique item. I can see how people would want them. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice!!! That is a lot of pieces!!! Good to go with the fold over back instead of zippers!!! Enjoy the Art Walk!
Fourteen hours for 12 pillows sounds reasonable! Great job, Kathleen!! Love the Catching Bubbles quilting, too!!!
Oh my they are just fabulous, congrats on the sales and the finishes!!
Wow! That’s a lot of work and a great idea to streamline by quilting in groups. Love the quilting design, too! I can see why these are so popular! 🙂
Clearly you came up with a much loved pillowed. It is stunning. Your genius was quilting them as one unit, limiting waste and saving time.
Oof! I’m tired just looking at the photos and thinking of aallllll that piecing! Good for you – if I understand they are all spoken for, yes? It’s a perfect pillow for an island home. I should do one of my ferry – I hear it multiple times a day as it sails out of my town’s port from August 1 – December 1. Good idea on a grey/white stripe for the window section.
Those pillows are just great! I can see why people wanted them. I love all your facts about making 12 of them – that was quite a big job! Hooray for getting the job done!
I know it was a bunch of work, but seeing all 12 lined up in one photo must be satisfying. I’m sure the buyers love them!
The Ferry pillows are super cute. That fabric for the water is so vibrant and colorful. I can see why they are in such high demand.
Love that you loaded them in a group on your longarm for quilting. That was very smart! I have no doubt you’ll figure out a great way to make them faster. I love seeing this block again! It was so popular in our QAL By the Sea! No wonder you made 11 sales just like that. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
https://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2023/09/06/wednesday-wait-loss-344
These are awesome ferry pillows! That’s cool how you can quilt them all together and then cut them apart. The water does look very shimmery.
Though it may have seemed as a bit of an over-commitment, you did well to do the piecing and quilting as a batch. Makes things easier!
Those are just the coolest!! I can see why so many people wanted them!!
An art walk sounds so cool and a touristy thing I would love!!! ( as In I would take home a lot of items as memory of my trip!!)
Wow they are amazing Kathleen! Great idea to put them all on the machine and quilt at once.. so much quicker! xx
Hi Kathleen, those are really cute pillows. I’m not surprised that they were popular. Did you make them production style or one at a time?