My mom says this is the year of the pillow. And I can't really disagree. I've been pillow-obsessed for as long as I can remember, but things got kicked up a notch when I found this vintage Pago pillow panel fabric on Ebay. It featured traditional Mexican crafts - a tree of life, Huichol yarn art, Amate paper painting, and a Tonalá cat.
This is what the panel looked like on Ebay. You can see (even if the picture is tiny and awful) why I fell in love.
I wasn't sure how to finish them, but then I found a Hmong skirt and top at a local estate sale. I rarely look through closets at sales. It makes me sad. But I happened onto this set and it was so intricate and beautiful. I knew it would work for something - YES! Pillow backs! I didn't take a picture of the set I bought, but SeamstressErin Designs has a great post about Hmong craft. You can also find examples online and on Ebay. Here's a skirt that features that indigo, embroidery, and piecework that makes Hmong textile art so incredible.
So, I asked my mom - she's always game for my crazy projects - to create a one-of-a-kind set of pillows using the panels and the Hmong outfit. We talked about using a variety of trims on the fronts to add that layered, kooky, texture that I love so much. Irrational trim. :-)
I was so happy with the way they came out! My mom made them so they can be used as two different sets of pillows. There's the indigo side, with pops of hot pink and textile work to die for, and then there is the Mexican crafts side, which is a folk art bonanza framed with a variety of poms, tassles, and trims.
Consider this post a big thank you to my favorite seamstress who never shakes her head at my design ideas. Thanks, mom!
And while the pictures show these beauties on our bed, they are currently playing a starring role on our living room sofa. ;-)