Ho Ho Ho Santa Pillow

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Coats Dual Duty XP All-purpose threads: #100 white, #900 black, #1210 pink, #1/40 hot pink
• Coats polyester zipper, 16" #30 pink
• 5/8 yd white-on-white cotton fabric
• 1/3 yd curly fleece
• 1/3 yd red/white dot cotton
• 1/4 yd pale pink cotton
• Small scraps: bright pink & red cotton fabrics, and black felt
• 2 1/2" white pompom
• 18" square pillow form
• Paper-back fusible web
• Templates for nose, mouth, cheeks, eyes, mustache & hat

DIRECTIONS:

1. From the white fabric, cut:1 square, 18 1/2" for pillow front and 2 rectangles, 10" x 18 1/2" for pillow backing
2. From the curly fleece, cut:1 rectangle, 11" x 18 1/2". Save the remainder for the mustache.
3. From the pale pink cotton, cut: 1 rectangle, 8 1/2" x 18 1/2"
4. From the red/white dot cotton, cut: 2 hats, using template. To print the templates, click on the "Download Project PDF" button (above).
5. Assembling the Pillow. Using a 3/4" seam allowance, insert the zipper in the pillow backing, along the 18 1/2" rectangle edges.
6. Baste the pale pink rectangle to the pillow front square, matching raw edges, and sewing the outer edges as well as the center edge.
7. With right sides together, place the curly fleece along the center edge of the pale pink rectangle. Sew in place using a 1/4" seam allowance. Fold the fleece down and with the pillow front wrong side up, baste along the edges to hold the fleece in place; trim the excess fleece.
8. TIP: Curly fleece is quite slippery and can easily distort while sewing, so handle carefully.
9. Trace the nose, 2 cheeks, mouth and 2 eye templates onto the fusible web paper backing. Following the manufacturer's instructions, fuse the nose to pale pink fabric, the cheeks to bright pink fabric, the mouth to red fabric, and the eyes to the black felt. Cut out on the drawn lines.
10. Mark the vertical center of the pillow front and place the facial features as desired. Fuse in place, being careful of the areas being fused to the fleece — touch those only with the tip of the iron to avoid damaging the fleece surface.
11. Using matching thread and a narrow zigzag, applique the features in place.
12. To make the moustache, fold the remaining fleece rectangle right sides together and pin. Trace two mustache shapes on the wrong side of the fabric and stitch on the lines, leaving a small opening for turning. Trim the fabric leaving 1/4" seam allowance. Turn each mustache section right side out, poke out the corner and hand-stitch the opening closed.