Starfish Pillow

I was inspired to make this Starfish pillow when I saw the Heart Wall Hanging project in the book "Inspirational Ideas - 200 Easy-To-Make Pretty Gifts For The Home". The wall hanging used the same fabric that I already had in my stash, so instead of hearts which were appliquéd on each square, I thought Starfish would be fun. Plus, I wanted to use up my embroidery thread. 

I searched online for a drawing of a starfish and found one I liked. I traced each starfish on a large piece of fabric so I could secure it in the embroidery hoop. Once I embroidered all the starfish, I cut out the blocks and sewed them together. Initially I was going to make a wall hanging, but decided to make a decorative pillow with piping and an envelope closure.

I chose to use the backstitch for the outline of the starfish and french knots for the spine (I am not sure if the small dots represent the spine or the skin).

Below is the starfish drawing I found online.