How to Make a Heart Pillow

This luxurious decorative pillow is a lovely way to learn to knit lace, including lacy cables. Written with few abbreviations, the directions on how to make a heart pillow walk you through each step, so even if you are new to knitting lace, you can try this pattern with ease. If you have only just learned to knit, don’t worry – there is also a pattern for you. Embellished with pre-made trims and a simple fleece motif, the garter-stitch pillow captures the Victorian look in a beginner-friendly way.

How to Make a Large Decorative Pillow

Skill Level: Intermediate
Materials:

* Berroco Pure Merino 100% Extra Fine Merino wool yarn: 2 skeins of color #8555 for front; if making a knit back, 3 additional skeins for back (for information on where to get this yarn, visit www.berroco.com)

* Thread to match the yarn of the pillow

* 1 pair size 10 knitting needles, or whichever size is needed to get proper gauge to make pillow

* Cable needle

* Marcus Brothers “Norfolk Gardens” fabric; for front border and ruffle, ¾ yard of style #F049-130D (airy pink floral print); for backing, 3/4 yard of style #F046-190D (large-scale bouquet print) (for a list of shops that carry this fabric, visit marcusbrothers.com)

* ½ yard solid pink cotton fabric needed to make pillow

* 2 yards of lace trim, ½” to ¾” wide (for trim similar to the one pictured, visit www.mjtrim.com)

* Thread to match the trim of the heart pillow

* Sewing needle to make pillow

Gauge: 21 stitches and 28 rows = 4” in heart stitch and cable lace; work one panel of each in your gauge swatch, plus a few edge stitches (5 ¼ stitches and 7 rows per inch)

Heart Stitch-multiple of 11 stitches:

* Row 1: yarn over, knit 2 together, knit 3, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 3, slip the next two stitches knit-wise, then knit them together (SSK), yarn over, knit 1

* Purl the next row, and all other even-numbered rows.

* Row 3: yarn over, knit 4 together (pull the yarn as tight as you can, since it will try to get loose), yarn over, knit 3

* Row 5: Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 5, yarn over, SSK, knit 1

* Row 7: Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 7, yarn over, SSK

Lace Cable-multiple of 7 stitches:

* Row 1: Purl 1, knit 5, purl 1

* Row 2: Knit 1, purl 5, knit 1 (repeat row 2 on all even-numbered rows)

* Row 3: Repeat Row 1

* Row 5: Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, slip 1 stitch, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over that knitted stitch, purl 1

* Rows 7 and 9: Repeat Row 5

* Rows 11 and 13: Repeat Row 1

* Row 15: Purl 1, slip next 2 stitches to the cable needle, hold the cable needle to the front of your work, knit 3, knit the two stitches from the cable needle, purl 2 

Front:

Cast on 64 stitches - enough stitches for four panels of the lace cable, three panels of the heart stitch, and four edge stitches, two on either side of the work.  Work 2 rows in plain stockinette stitch. Then, begin the lace patterns on the next right side row.  Knit two edge stitches, work the first row of the lace cable pattern, and then work the first row of the heart stitch pattern. Continue alternating the lace cable and heart stitches until the end of the row, ending with a repeat of the lace cable.  Knit the two edge stitches at the end.

Continue to work the heart and lace cable patterns for the pillow, purling the edge stitches on the even-numbered rows, until the piece measures about 14”. You should have 11 completed heart motifs in each heart lace panel - end on Row 3 of the heart lace pattern, in which each “knit 4 together” creates the points at the tops of each heart motif.  It is more important to complete the heart motifs than to get the measurement exact - if you need to go over 14”, or stop earlier, that’s fine, as long as the piece is within half an inch of 14” long.  A slight variance in the length does not matter to the wear of the piece, since it will be sewn to a backing, while it is essential to the look of the piece to finish the motifs.

Work one more purl row, then bind off on the next knit row.

Assembling the pillow (note: seam allowances are all ¼”)

From Norfolk Gardens style #F049-130D, cut out two pieces measuring 14 ½” by 4 ½” and two measuring 22 ½” by 4 ½”. From the solid pink fabric, cut out one 14 ½” square. Sew the 14 ½” by 4 ½” floral print pieces the left and right sides of the solid pink square. Sew the longer floral pieces to the top and bottom.

Using sewing thread, hand-sew the lace panel to the center of this fabric piece, over the solid pink square. To further secure the panel, sew a running stitch through the middle of each heart panel and along the sides of each cable, making sure the stitches do not show.

Sew the lace trim around the lace panel on all sides, covering the edges of the panel.

Back:

From Norfolk Gardens style #F046-190D, cut one piece measuring 22 ½” by 20”, and one measuring 22 ½” by 6”.  Hem one 22 ½” edge of each piece.  Overlapping the hemmed edges, place the backing pieces and the front piece right sides together, and sew along all four outer edges. Turn pillow cover inside out. Press the seams. To make ruffle, sew basting seams 1” in from all four edges on the right side to make ruffle, then gently tug on the thread ends to create slight gathers.

Knit back variation:

Make two pieces, one large, one small. For the large piece, cast on 67 stitches and work in stockinette stitch until piece measures 12”.  Bind off.  For the small piece, cast on the same number of stitches and work until the piece measures 4”.  Bind off.  Overlapping the two back pieces, place the back pieces and the front piece right sides together and sew along all four sides. Turn pillow right side out.
 

How to Make a Small Pillow or Sachet

Skill Level: Beginner
Materials:

* Berroco Glacé 100% rayon ribbon yarn, 1 hank of color# 2344

* 1 pair size 10 knitting needles, or whichever size needed to get proper gauge

* Small piece of red fleece fabric

* Thread to match fleece

* 6” piece of ribbon

* Assorted ribbon roses, as many as desired

* Fiberfill or potpourri for filling

* Sewing needle

Gauge: 16 stitches and 32 rows = 4” in garter stitch (4 stitches and 8 rows per inch)

Pillow pieces (make 2 identical pieces):

For each piece, cast on 25 stitches. Work in garter stitch until the piece measures 6” long. Bind off.

Decorating and assembling the pillow/sachet:

Using the pattern piece HERE, cut the heart motif out from the fleece fabric.  Pin the heart to the center of the front pillow panel and sew it on using a running stitch. Tie the ribbon piece into a bow, and sew it to the center of the heart. Sew on ribbon roses as desired. Add roses to the back piece, if desired. Place the front and back pillow pieces right sides together and sew up three sides.  Leave one side open.  Turn the pillow right side out; fill with potpourri or fiberfill.  Sew up the open side, using a whipstitch if you desire invisible stitching, or a decorative stitch for further embellishment.

About the author:
Christina Inge is a writer and crafts designer who loves quilting, knitting, and scrapbooking.