Sweet Dreams are Made of These

I've seen a lot of great embroidery and needlepoint projects on various websites recently.  It seems like a skill in line with sewing, and I thought it would be a great addition to some of my quilting, so I thought I would give it a try.  I purchased Craftsy class Design It, Stitch It Hand Embroidery.  It was an easy and clear tutorial.  For practice, instead of doing random lines I dove right into a project (of course!).

Our niece was baptized in April, and I wasn't sure what kind of gift to give her.  I thought a handmade memory would be best, so I made a pillow with a quilted front, a monogram on the back, and embroidered the back with all the pertinent details of the day.  

For the cross quilted front piece, I used Michael Miller's Sommer Garden Bloom and a baptist fan free-motion design.  I enjoyed mixing the textures of satin and cotton.

For the back, I used an upholstery grade satin fabric, the same cotton for the monogram, and a variegated embroidery silk in monochrome colors.  

I have never done a zippered pillowcase, and I was very pleased how this turned out, and very proud of myself on the zipper.  I did a gathered, rounded corner, ruffle around the outside.