Exotic Koi Pillow

Learn how to make throw pillows with a stencil for an exotic and awe-inspiring pop of color in your living room. These exotic koi pillows are great Cricut home decor ideas that are so simple to make.

Materials:

• Cricut Expression® Personal Electronic Cutter with Plantin SchoolBook and Accent Essentials® cartridges [290300]
• Cricut® Pagoda cartridge [291561]
• Sewing machine and thread
• Iron and ironing board
• Heat n' Bond Ultra
• Polyfill or pillow form
• Fabric: various
• Painter's tape
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut four 12" x 12" blocks of coordinating fabric. Iron sheets of Heat n' Bond Ultra to back of fabric according to manufacturer's instructions. Peel off backing.
    
2. lace face down on new cutting mat and use painter's tape on edges. Burnish fabric with fingers to make sure there is solid adhesion of fabric to mat.
    
3. Change Cricut Expression settings so pressure is at 6, speed is at 6, and blade depth is at 6. Position blade so it is not over painter's tape.
    
4. Cut koi. Using Pagoda cartridge and fabric, cut one 9" <Fish4>. Using different fabric, cut one 9" <Fish5>. Using different fabric, press Shift and cut one 9" <Fish4-s>. Using different fabric, press Shift and cut one 9" <Fish5>.
    
5. Iron <Fish4> and <Fish5> cuts to their own piece of decorative fabric.
    
6. Iron <Fish4-s> and <Fish5-s> on top of corresponding cuts, ensuring edges are matched.
    
7. Cut backing for pillows from coordinating fabric. Pin pillows together with right sides in. Sew three edges of both pillows.
    
8. Turn pillows right side out. Fill with polyfill or pillow form. Sew closed.