My daughter is really into My Little Pony and I thought I’d put my quilting skills to use to make her pony-themed items. I started with a Twilight Sparkle pony pillow.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4Ek1a4_yc727Zi6_e5FdH9pUSVdi7z7LqHWdXlx-0MvdyaU3cYgdCoL_XfX_bmXHCMywJrNbiSBI38bm7s2HbiyFO5ya4KNjZ9oNAzRWqV0PxMTU2NwkWIqxu566P8VlDti_surK3VE/s320/PonyPillow7_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Twilight Sparkle pony pillow (made using the Lisa the Unicorn pattern from Elizabeth Hartman) |
The pattern I used is Lisa the Unicorn from Elizabeth Hartman – I’ve made one before and loved it! I wanted a small project that I could complete in shorter timeframe to give to my daughter and I knew this would be a good place to start. Her favorite pony is Twilight Sparkle so my goal for the pillow was for it to be recognizable to my daughter based on the color palette. I spent about an hour pulling out all the purples I have and comparing it to multiple pictures of the pony. Ultimately I chose the following Kona cotton solids for Twilight Sparkle.
Body color fabric: Dahlia
Main color fabric: Bright Pink, Mulberry and Regal
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18AnCIR5jDr68GGOqa2s8iUU9tn0zcn1dBWvpKDcaVA063JDW87vI0gVNnKwp9J7XgSoFBnwOtE9Oedz7ze08INj5l7bQEHYv5GoD6fYQgq4ItJilD7bXNkrwjvRNZj_AH9FDo_WXR9A/s320/PonyPillow1_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Color selection, from top: Dahlia, Mulberry, Bright Pink and Regal |
Next I needed to choose a background fabric for the pillow. I pulled out several low volume options in white and grey. Nothing felt very appealing. I dug around more and pulled out some Speckled fabric by Rashida Coleman-Hale. I decided on Speckled Metallic Neon Pink because it said sparkle and pony to me :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8aUN64pggDvf-I4bKthS8tv1wDBNMdvROsef1eW0TCQPYWDlLRrxv6wCC5S7ggWb_25XWoKnm6G3xD6RIKNl8meAwA3EUEeUMiN8XQst9UaKndSeI_ytCONRIpyC_rZk1Z0QbqKIQP8/s320/PonyPillow3_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Metallic Neon Pink Speckled fabric for the background |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRQoUuooJmEUYDGwitWeFsJ8LRTLYcEq1nbP3XFuGF-K-BuzH_M7GYiDlIzqziPS2rd8jIHuKcawJZO7b5zygBHbZC7_YGg7AvKEcMlZcrskUF5e9UBEfMmcVJiZXNkNcRTlKGJAIuF0/s320/PonyPillow2_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Pieced Twilight Sparkle |
I spent time studying images of Twilight Sparkle to try and get the mane colors in the correct order and in a density I thought appropriate given the layout of the pattern. Yes, by the end of this post, you’ll get a sense I spent entirely too much time on this one project – ha! I try to look at small projects as an opportunity to skill build and have fun playing. Also, it’s for someone super special so all the time is worth it :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNp3LfyqAhEcXZaMDmnVoB0tLorQ2ku8j6WHCxcQelmWzRQLn2lyLcV0WmIKGctTDWw7hpLT2ClVXequ8CB3_B2eeoMmpFCh6pIMa3oeEYf3-79fMdg36DBu6ZgHTtCIuomlZ4GdZWtQc/s320/PonyPillow4_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Quilting details on pony mane |
After piecing the pillow top, I decided I wanted to add something special to the back of the pillow. I typically do a two panel top and bottom pillow back. The pattern suggests a side by side panel and I decided to give it a try. Overall, it worked wonderfully.
I wanted to try and incorporate Twilight’s cutie mark into the back panel I found an image of the mark, traced it and appliqued the pieces to the panel. I used Heat N Bond Lite (it’s sewable) to attach the pieces and then zig zag stitched around each piece. Those center white pieces were exceptionally small to work with!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NzBw3TVQtF7fSAVPfCsc1FirpL9t724vKUyXiW6_el39xMNYCAv9JGlclwuWyMyhu0xLaVuTvHlEjHzfNaNZpcsHhA49_PItDdK-Pp2EyWP5ysMihhT9klLzJjC-KOIwJ5QeXBezCHo/s320/PonyPillow6_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Twilight Sparkle cutie mark detail on back panel |
For the front of the pillow, I quilted wavy lines through the mane of the horse’s hair. I used thread colors to match the fabric. Throughout the entire project, I used Aurifil 50 wt thread. For the mane, I used 2530 Blossom Pink, 2540 Medium Lavender and 2785 Very Dark Navy. For the horse’s face and horn, I used the 2540 Medium Lavender. The face has a crosshatch quilting pattern and the horn has echo quilting inside the horn. For the background, I used 2026 Chalk and did a larger crosshatch pattern.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYMIQEJepVkU1kIC9RnTdzL-LaFJzgk-IP3H_3FjA-0HgEA5nuXMdEeX5cEsuBUoT4uZYs_8xNHXqcHWBBKPTrbdT4C2tic3p12W_N9Zc4umC0ERsURvXFudye67GKqb9kH8eBr-1Woc/s320/PonyPillow9_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Unique quilting details in mane, hair, face and background |
For the back panels, I used the Dahlia colored fabric and 2540 Medium Lavender thread. I did an angled 60 degree diamond quilting pattern.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyZsGs_JXA1jwmIARE90IhoRTJDeweywrGvwoxTJQ1-p7UKksIFoeJf0yDl9jfytCJk64qe8dE8gNacLCkDB_Ev4_XD4TAqMXMAJ7NYd9H_IOrSO9u7fXAUD6vWu1rmff-Jvj4jA-Jtk/s320/PonyPillow8_JessicaPlunkett.jpg) |
Pillow back with appliqued cutie mark |
After putting in the last stitch, I laundered it to wash out any excess fabric dye and wash out any basting spray. I placed the pillow form in (it needs a European sham-sized form) and presented it to my daughter. Her reaction was worth every minute put into the pillow!
Comments
Post a Comment