Peek-a-Boo ...

...I finished you!   This project involved crochet and knitting, using up some  bits of yarn and fabric from my stash.
The pattern to make your own "Peek-a-Boo Pillows" and can be found in Knitting Loves Crochet by Candi Jensen.  Lots of lovely projects in this book.  You will be inspired to pick up your hooks and needles.

I started out thinking that after I made the first cover in this pale (rather uninspiring) green, I would dye it.  The  original colour is so bland.

Even the moss stitch patterned pillow back looked lackluster, so I was getting ready to dye it.

 Then, I discovered a couple of small skeins of  cotton yarn in Rowan's denim hiding in my stash.  Hmmm... perhaps pairing the blue and the pale green would jazz things up?  Unfortunately, I found I did not have enough of the lighter blue yarn to make the front and back of the cover.  I opted to redo the back in the larger skein of darker denim coloured yarn and used every bit of it.  Whew.

Thinking there was so much potential in the openwork design of the crocheted front, I began searching for the right fabric to make the pillow form.  I stumbled upon some off cuts of pre-quilted cottons I received from a friend (thanks, Jacqueline!).  Stitching those pieces together so that the seam would be in the middle of the front, I thought I could hide it under the seam that joined the crochet motifs together.  Yes!  It worked.

The bright blue of the pre-quilted cotton really shows off the pale green crochet  and better, yet, gave the pillow form a firmer shape.  Perfect!

Now, when it came time to sew a pillow form for the blue cover, I did not have enough scraps in one colour.  I was just able to make the front by piecing two scraps together and hiding the seam under the mid line of the crochet pattern, but had to use a cream colour to sew the back of the pillow form.  Thankfully, it also worked well and you don't notice that the form has two colours.

Paired together,  I'm quite happy with the results and surprised at how much better that pale green yarn looks now that it has the bright blue behind it.

Happier still, that I used up some small bits from my stash and that the newest pillows should go quite nicely with that king-sized quilt I have planned for our bed.