How to Make a French Braid Quilted Pillow Cover

Oct 19, 2010
Jill Antunes

Quilted French Braid Pillow Cover - Lori Kramer

Batiks are recommended to make this stunning quilted pillow cover, designed to wrap around at least two standard size pillows.

It's still early for Christmas 2010 gifts! This fabulous pillow cover fastens by using several Velcro strips. Its finished dimensions are 40‘’ x 93 ½‘’.

Nondirectional Fabric Yardages

You need the following fabric yardages for nondirectional prints:

12 fat quarter yards in a range of different colors (the more colors, the more fantastic the braid results)
2 ½ yards for outside borders
½ yard for inside borders
¾ yard for 1 separator band, center strip
¾ yard for 1 separator band, outside strips
¼ yard for 2 center squares: 8 3/8‘’x 8 3/8‘’
1 fat quarter yard for accent squares
¼ yard for ending triangles
2 ¾ yards for backing
½ yard for binding
44’’x 97’’ batting
46‘’ of ¾’’wide Velcro to fasten the quilted pillow cover after binding it

Supplies Needed

sewing machine in good working order with an optional scant ¼’’ foot, or you can use the scant ¼’’ setting if your machine has one
6’’ wide see-through, nonslip ruler
sharp rotary cutter
large cutting mat
optional June Tailor Shape Cut Plus tool to speed braid cutting
new sewing needle such as a size 90/14 topstitch needle
sharp scissors
neutral gray or beige thread for piecing
washable tailor’s chalk pencil and pencil sharpener

No Prewashing Needed

Do not prewash your fabric. Prewashing fabric only increases the yardage requirements and weakens perfectly fine fabrics.

Instead, wash the finished quilted pillow cover in cold water on the delicate cycle and dry it in the dryer on a low setting until the quilt cover is completely dry and has tiny puckers of quilted texture throughout.

Center Square Cutting Instructions

Cut two squares, 8 3/8‘’ x 8 3/8‘’.
Set aside your center squares for assembling later when you piece the braids from the center square outward.

Ending Triangle Cutting Instructions

Cut four squares, 7‘’ x 7‘’.
Cut each square in half diagonally to get 8 ending triangles.
Set aside your ending triangles for assembling after you have pieced each braid with the center squares.

Braid Cutting Instructions

Fold each fat quarter from selvage to center, with the right sides facing out and lightly press each.
Cut each fat quarter that is now pressed with the right sides out into two 8 ½‘’ wide strips.
Put each 8 ½‘’ wide strip into two separate piles.
Place each strip in each pile in the order in which you want to arrange the braid colors.
Set the second pile aside for now.
From the first pile of 8 ½‘’ strips, take one two-sided strip, and cut 6 pairs of braids that are 2 ½ ‘‘ x 8 ½ ‘’ and are facing right sides out.
Continue cutting each 8 ½‘’ strip from the first pile into 2 ½’’ wide braids until you have finished cutting the all the fabrics in the first pile. You should have 24 braids, 2 ½’’ x 8 ½’’, from the first pile of fabric. There should be 2 braids in each of the 12 different colors.

Accent Square Cutting and Assembly Instructions

From your accent square fat quarter, cut 12 2 ½’’ wide strips along the width of the fabric, from selvage to center. You should have 12 accent strips that are 8 ½‘’ long by 2 ½‘’ wide.
Return to the second pile of fabric.
Sew each of the 12 accent strips to each of the 12 different colored 8 ½’’ wide strips from the second pile of fabric.
Lightly press each of the 12 seams towards the braid strip in each color.
Cut 6 strips that are 2 ½‘’ wide and 10 1/2 ‘’long from each accented braid strip. You should have 24 accented braids, two accented braids in each of the 12 different colors.

Center Square and Braids Assembly Instructions

Place one of the two center squares right side up, facing you.
Turn the square so that it forms a diamond shape facing you.
Place your first unaccented braid right down, so that the top left edge of the center diamond aligns with the top edge of the unaccented braid, and the top corners match. The opposite corners will not match.
With the top corners matched, pin both right side edges together.
Flip the center square and unaccented braid so that it is face down.
Stitch the pinned assembly right sides together. Stitch from matched corners down to the unmatched corners.
Lightly press the seam towards the braid.
With the right side of the center square and braid facing you, match right side of the unaccented braid’s top corner to the right side of the top corner of the accent square of the first accented braid.
Pin the right sides together of the top corner of the first accented braid and the top corner of the unaccented braid. The opposite corners will not match.
Stitch the seam from the top corners of the unaccented braid and accent square down to the unmatched, opposite corners. Lightly press the seam towards the accented braid.
Repeat steps 1 – 10 above until you have stitched all the braids of each of the 12 different colored braids to the top and bottom of each center square. Lightly press each seam towards the braid immediately after you stitch each braid to the French braid strip.
Roll up each French braid strip.

Ending Triangle Assembly Instructions

Return to your 8 ending triangles.
Select one ending triangle, and align the right side of its long edge with the right side up left braid’s long edge.
Be sure that the perpendicular right angle of the ending triangle is positioned 2/3 of the way down into the second braid from the end of the French braid strip. The right angle should slightly overlap the center accent square of the second braid. The top corner of the ending triangle should project about 3/4’’ above the end of the French braid and point upwards, like a cat’s ear.
When you’ve correctly aligned the long edges of with the right sides of the fabric together, pin the edges together.
Flip the pinned edges so that the right side of the assembly is face down on the table.
Take the pinned assembly to your sewing machine, and stitch it downward from the “cat’s ear.”
Lightly press the ending triangle’s seam towards the French braid strip.
Repeat steps 2-7 above until you have attached and lightly pressed the remaining 7 ending triangles.

French Braid Strip Marking Instructions

On a long flat table, unroll the French braid strip so that it is right side up.
Align the ¼‘’ marks of the long side of the 6’’ wide see-through ruler with the center points of the accent squares.
Use your sharpened washable tailor’s chalk pencil, and mark as straight a line as possible along the bottom long side of the ruler while the top ¼’’ lines of the ruler are still aligned with the center points of the accent squares.
Continue to move the ruler along the bottom ¼’’center points as you continue marking the bottom edge line on the French braid strip.
Repeat steps 1-4 above along the top edge of the French braid strip and the bottom ¼’’ center accent square points until both the top and bottom edges of each French braid strip are marked with chalk lines that are as straight as possible. You will use these chalk lines as your scant ¼’’seam guides when you later assemble the separator band and borders of the two French braid strips.
Using your see-through nonslip ruler and rotary cutter, square up both sets of ending triangles on each of the two completed French braid strips.

Separator Band Cutting Instructions

From the separator band fabric, cut four 7’’ wide strips, the width of fabric.
Piece two of each four 7’’ wide strips of fabric.
Measure the length of each completed French braid.
Cut each pieced 7’’ wide strip to the French braid length.
Set aside each pieced 7’’ wide separator band.

Inside Border Cutting Instructions

From the inside border fabric, cut six 1 ½‘’ inch wide strips, the width of fabric.
Piece three of each six 1 ½’’ wide inside border strips.
Measure the length of each completed French braid.
Cut each pieced 1 ½‘’ wide inside border strip to the French braid length.
Pin and stitch each pieced inside border to each side of the cut pieced 7‘’ inch wide separator band.
Pin and stitch each remaining inside border to the top and bottom of the French braids and separator band assembly.

Outside Border Cutting Instructions

From the outside border fabric, cut eight 6 ½ ‘’ wide strips, the width of fabric.
Piece two of each of the eight 6 ½‘’ wide outside border strips.
Pin and stitch each pieced outside border to the outside edges of each French braid.
Pin and stitch each pieced outside border to the top and bottom edges of each French braid, separator band, and inside border assembly.

Quilting and Binding Instructions

Piece the backing fabric, and layer it with the batting and quilt top.
Hand or machine quilt the layers together, or send out the layers to be quilted.
From the binding fabric, cut eight 2 1/2‘’ wide strips, the width of fabric.
Piece four of each eight 2 ½‘’ wide strips.
Machine stitch the binding onto the finished quilt front.
Hand stitch the binding back onto the back of the finished quilt.
Machine stitch 2” segments of Velcro onto the top and bottom edges of the quilted pillow cover.