Crate & Barrel Inspired | Holiday Pillow Tutorial

I don't typically pay a whole lot of attention to the catalogues we get in the mail {with the exception of a certain few} but I was sitting at the table one day and picked up Crate & Barrel's christmas one. The first time I kinda flipped through it...just glancing at things. Then a few days later I picked it up again and as I was looking at it, three project ideas popped out at me!

Hot Chocolate Spoons was the first one, inspired by their Peppermint Spoons.

 The wine glass cluster for hanging was the second and inspired by a teeny tiny image in the corner of one of the pages!

And then lastly was this pillow-- inspired by their Merrie Pillow. 

At first I wasn't going to try this pillow project because typically at this time of year, I'm barely finishing gifts much less making decor! But the ideas kept nudging me and so I finally put them out on paper, asked Mama to pick up the supplies while she was out and then set to work.

So here's the tutorial:

You'll need:

4 sheets of colored felt {I used two shades of green b/c that's what I had but you could do 3 or 4 shades of green like they did... or maybe use some red for berries or ornaments}

1 sheet of white felt

3" x 11" rectangle of brown felt

needle & thread

pillow

{and if you think you'll go the "easy" route & use glue instead of stitches, please jump to the bottom of this post right now & learn from my mistakes before wasting your own time and supplies!}

1} Cut a 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 8" triangle from white felt. The 8" side will be the bottom of the triangle.

2} Trace out  1" circles side by side on your colored felt {I used the end of a thread spool which is a little larger than 1"}. No need for these to be perfect.

3} Now cut them out! {I probably shouldn't tell you that it'll be a couple hundred}

4} Secure the first circle to the triangle with one stitch through the center. Then fold up the side of that circle & add another circle right next to it. Continue stitching circles onto the triangle -- always securing in the center, placing them tightly together & folding the ends up before you place another circle next to it.

{See the images below}

I fit mine together but didn't make them all go the same direction. 

 {And it's okay if the back looks awful like mine does-- it won't show:)}

Do make your triangle full though!!

 5} When you're finished attaching the circles to the triangle, stitch the triangle to the pillow {I just secured at each corner}

For the trunk:

Accordion fold your piece of brown felt. Stitch through folds to hold the accordion together then secure to pillow at the base of the tree.

 For the Snowflakes:

Cut out several circles from your leftover white felt. {Mine were the same size as my green circles} One at a time, pinch the center of a circle and run a few stitches through the center to keep it gathered. Then secure to the pillow.

 P.S. THIS is my very failed first attempt. I thought if I could use glue it would be a lot simpler than having to stitch each one on... but after using hot glue, Elmers glue and fabric glue I decided it was NOT easier! haha Felt and glue aren't close friends.