My husband uses a small pillow on his chair for lumbar support. The previous pillow was bought during my pre-sewing days and it definitely had seen better days. Just like the cobbler’s children go barefoot, my husband continued to use the lumpy, torn pillow for months. My ego also wouldn’t let me purchase a new pillow because I had dug my heels in about making the pillow myself. So I made a commitment to make it before the holidays and started thinking about design ideas.
The window of my atelier faces the eastern sky, which, during sunset, takes on a lovely purple and pink hue called the Belt of Venus. I love the inky black bare tree branches against that colour during winter months.
Shortly after finishing work, I stopped at one of our west-facing windows to admire the sunset colours peering through the bare tree branches there too.
Then my eyes wandered over to the bookcases right beside the window. The bare trees and the bookshelves gave me an idea for the pillow design. I pulled out a few black and white tree-themed fabrics and a few scraps of textured solids. I picked a textured grey for the background to keep a monochromatic look with splashes of colour from the solids.
After cutting a few strips of the tree fabrics, I made a few multicoloured, randomly-stitched stripes with the solid fabrics making them look like book spines. I stitched them together with a few thin strips of grey background fabric in between and added a darker grey at the base. It made the impression of a little bookshelf for the pillow front.
I picked a shade of purple thread for the purple sky and varied the line spacing a little to add a little bit of interest. If you are wondering, the spacing between the lines are 1/2″, 1/2″, 1/4″ and so on.
My dear husband never complains. When I grumble about not getting enough done, he becomes my voice of reason and reminds me that there are only 24 hours in a day. It felt great to make this for him. I had to convince him to use it because he felt it should have been framed as wall art. I am flattered!!
Happy sewing,
-Soma
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45 thoughts on “Bramble Pillow”
audrey February 8, 2018 at 16:10
What a lovely pillow! Great colors and stitching.:)
Lisa February 7, 2018 at 23:41
Great cushion – lucky husband!
Julie February 7, 2018 at 14:32
What a beautiful view from your atelier. I really like that pillow and I always enjoy the stories you have with your makes. Thanks for linking to Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE.
Lady Fi January 27, 2018 at 23:13
That cushion is simply enchanting!
Life Images by Jill January 24, 2018 at 01:05
I love the pillow you made for your husband. Such a gorgeous piece and the way you have combined the fabrics inspired by nature. Have a fabulous week. I am joining you from Wednesday around the world.
CarlaK January 24, 2018 at 01:04
Books and trees combined ! Two of my favotite things, sooooo beautiful ! Love from Belgium x
Jesh StG January 22, 2018 at 19:03
Love the trees in the pink sky. Interesting to see how your inspiration translates that to the pillow! Lovely work, Soma! Aren’t the artists always the impatient ones? Haha, here’s another one.
Many thanks for sharing with All Seasons the trees, and how it inspired you to your (your hubby’s) new bramble pillow! Have an artsy week!
Angie January 22, 2018 at 17:01
A stunning combination of vibrant colours and gray/black tones. So classy. I am impressed that you can take these inspirations and create your own work – I definitely need a pattern to follow when I am creating …
betty - NZ January 22, 2018 at 14:29
You did a great job on the pillow! The sky images are really awesome, too.
tanya breese January 22, 2018 at 13:25
that pillow is gorgeous and i love how you came up with the design! you are so talented!
Emily Bailey January 22, 2018 at 12:09
Beautiful pillow! Love the solids with the neutral prints
Angela Grasse January 22, 2018 at 11:35
The purple/pink photos is gorgeous!
Marie-OR January 22, 2018 at 09:21
Great pillow! And lovely bare trees. I know what you mean about the plumber…I have a lap throw I am supposed to be working on for my husband, and it just doesn’t get done! Perhaps by our anniversary in late May.
Ness January 22, 2018 at 05:55
I’m terrible about not buying something because I think I can make it myself and never getting round to doing it! Your husband’s cushion was definitely worth the wait.
Roseanne January 22, 2018 at 04:51
Hi Soma,
A pillow worthy of waiting for! I’m sure your husband is quite pleased with his newest acquisition, as it is lovely. Really nice job – and those photos! ~smile~ Roseanne
Carole @ From My Carolina Home January 22, 2018 at 04:32
Very interesting design, love your inspiration. Winter has its own beauty if we just slow down and look, doesn’t it!
Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts January 22, 2018 at 04:24
I love that you shared the inspiration behind the design. It’s a lovely pillow and a beautiful gift for your hubby. Thank you for sharing on Main Crush Monday!
Liz January 21, 2018 at 22:52
So beautiful! I love the orange and blue fabrics. They pop against each other perfectly.
Kelleyn Rothaermel January 21, 2018 at 09:00
Very pretty! I would say I am a pillow girl, but I have a fetish for crocheted blankets. I have about 6. I see a pattern and then beg my mom to make it. I can’t get enough of them.
Susan Mann January 21, 2018 at 07:06
What a lovely pillow. I’m a huge fan of trees and skies. This would be perfect for me x #sundaysnap
Aditi Kaushiva January 21, 2018 at 07:05
It should be framed as wall art! It is so beautiful!
Lynette January 20, 2018 at 09:30
This pillow is so attractive! I loved reading about your design process.
Carol January 20, 2018 at 05:00
Beautifully done, and I love the inspiration
krislovesfabric January 19, 2018 at 11:39
Love your pillow, how nice to have a thing of beauty which also can be put to service :) You have a knack for making things that are beautiful to look at as well as truly useful. Such a win-win!! I have a stitching pillow I bought at Walmart years ago to give my hands and wrists a place to “be” while I embroider or applique, I think I will try to make a prettier replacement someday…
Janine @ Rainbow Hare January 19, 2018 at 09:11
This is a work of art – but I think your husband deserves one! Thank you for sharing your inspiration :)
Mary January 19, 2018 at 08:33
That is really gorgeous. The “tree” fabric and idea is brilliant and your bar colors are so pretty. Great job and worth the wait.
Judy B January 19, 2018 at 07:50
It is a work of art! Really pretty. The eastern sky during sunset is a lovely backdrop. A lumbar pillow is on my “to-do” list!
Jayne January 19, 2018 at 07:00
It’s a beautiful pillow and I love the thought behind it! Your husband is one lucky guy…now he needs to use it!
Kathleen January 19, 2018 at 06:49
Oh I love this, Soma! As I was reading your post I thought, I bet Soma’s husband will be reluctant to use it because he won’t want it getting squished!! I’m glad you convinced him to use it. I feel the same about the few baby quilts I’ve made. I don’t make them to be “treasured” – I make them to be used. Then it will become obvious how treasured the quilt is.
Linda Mincher January 19, 2018 at 06:46
The pillow is wonderful! You do lovely work.
Vera January 19, 2018 at 01:48
Lovely! Great to know the inspiration behind! Thanks for linking up with TGIFF ;)
Flashinscissors January 19, 2018 at 00:00
Love the pillow Soma! It was nice to read the story of your inspiration for it too!
I feel exactly the same way …. why buy something you can make yourself ….. when you can remind yourself every day of those beautiful sunset moments!
Barbara xx
VickiT January 18, 2018 at 19:26
Great looking pillow. I love how you’ve made that with the quilting and fabric placement.
I actually laughed outloud when I read about your ego not allowing you to purchase another pillow for hubby when you could make one yourself. I know that ‘ego’ oh so well! I have needed oven mitts in my kitchen for about 2 yrs now. The part used to hold onto a pan or cookie sheet etc., actually has a hole in each hand. Every once in awhile I forget and burn a finger or two. Do you think I would break down and buy any? Nope. I can do that myself………someday. LOL
Tamara January 18, 2018 at 19:18
Gorgeous photos and inspired pillow-wonderful to read about! Thank you for sharing with us, Soma.
BillieBee January 18, 2018 at 16:31
Just love the fabrics in your wonderful pillow. So sweet. Tell your DH to use it for sure.
Su-sieee! Mac January 18, 2018 at 15:06
Very cool colors and designs of the different fabric. So fun!
Kim January 18, 2018 at 13:31
Lovely pillow, Soma. I love that you can take inspiration from different sources, and then bring the ideas together to make a cohesive, beautiful, and meaningful, design. Hope hubby enjoys using such a thoughtfully made pillow.
Patty January 18, 2018 at 13:28
The pillow looks wonderful! Worth the wait
Janice Holton January 18, 2018 at 11:16
This is really striking. He’s right! It is a work of art! Just remind him he has an “in” with the artist and a new work of art can be created at any time!
tonia conner January 18, 2018 at 10:20
Very clean and crisp looking, maybe I need to look out my windows more in the winter.
Nah, I don’t see things like that. I’m too literal.
Maggie Christie January 18, 2018 at 09:40
That’s so pretty! I loved hearing about the inspiration for the design. Beautifully done.
Dixie January 18, 2018 at 08:45
I have a soft spot for trees.
Wonderful pics. The purple/ pink Belt of Venus looks like it could be off planet. So lovely!
I am certain your husband will love all the comfort. And he’s quite right…it’s an evocative artful design.
Nancy A January 18, 2018 at 07:53
love the pillow and the story behind the design. I also love the look of the black and bare branches with the sunset behind. I don’t think I have ever seen that shade of purple, but it is beautiful. I have a similar picture that I took out west one year as we were coming down a mountain and the sky was a deep red. It a was beautiful.
Cheryl Brickey January 18, 2018 at 06:07
Beautiful pillow. I really like how you paired the prints with the different solid colors.
Tammy S Asad January 18, 2018 at 04:15
I like where your inspiration for the design came from. Very pretty!