I love when a long, planned project is finally finished. These Diamond String quilt-as-you-go pillows have been on my to-do list for so long now. Amazingly, two great reasons came at the same time so I could justify making a new project!

First, I wanted to use my Fabric Please! blogger bundle to make something, because I love the colours together! Second, PillowCubes contacted me to see if I wanted to review their pillow inserts. (P.S. Enter for a chance to win the blogger bundle until June 23, 2015.)

So…. Pillow fabric + Pillow Insert = Obvious obligation (*wink*) to make the tutorial you’ve been dying to try!

I’ve got a mini tutorial later on with the measurements for making your own 12″ x 16″ Diamond String pillow, but first a word about PillowCubes. When I first looked at their site I wasn’t sure what to expect. A pillow insert is a pillow insert, is a pillow insert, right? For my sample, I checked the list and ordered an Eco-Friendly 12×16 insert. May as well save the environment as much as possible!

When my sample arrived in a Flat Rate envelope I was amazed it would fit in there – turns out they are vacuum sealed to save space. Once opened, the pillow puffs up to its normal size. I love that the pillow is:

• made of good quality unbleached cotton (Less chemicals)
• stitched and edge-finished on 3 edges, the 4th is folded
• and the filling is distributed evenly and out to the corners
• the recycled filler is soft, and fluffy, just like it should be!

All in all I’m really pleased with the insert and I’m especially happy that it is Eco-Friendly. Though, they do have Polyester Fill, 3 types of Down Fill and Synthetic Down, if you’d like more options.

I also really like that you can save quite a bit of money ordering by the “cube” – a box of pillow inserts! If you don’t think you’ll use that many inserts, share with a couple of friends. Or get a box and use your stash to gift throw pillows to everyone this year. (Get a discount below!)

PillowCubes are American Made and ship from the US, they also ship to Canada and Internationally. My order (to Canada) arrived in only 9 days!

Use the discount code: ThreadRidingHood10 to get 10% off your first PillowCubes order. This code never expires! Use the discount code to purchase a sample pillow, a pillow cube or a custom order!

I always dread sorting out the math in my quilty projects, so I thought I’d write out the measurements I used below in case you want to make one too. It perfectly fits a 12″x16″ PillowCube insert!

1. Cut 4 pieces of low loft batting as your foundation pieces – 7 1/4″ x 9 1/4″ (these are purposely oversized)
2. Create your quilt-as-you-go Diamond String blocks. This tutorial was really helpful, use the batting as your foundation instead of muslin.
3. Trim the blocks to 6 3/4″ x 8 3/4″  and stitch them together with a 1/4″ seam.
4. Cut 2 backing pieces – 13″ x 13″ – for the envelope back. Hem the inside edge of each piece.
5. Layer the pillow front with the envelope backs aligned to each side (hems in the centre). Baste the layers together.
6. Bind the edge using your favorite machine/hand stitched binding method. You will need about 70″ of 2 1/2″ wide binding.

Reader Feedback: What is your favorite pillow cover tutorial?

Thanks for reading. Follow along and join me for “thread ride”!