Crochet Week: Curio Pillow Cover

In honor of KP Crochet’s launch, the Knit Picks staff is taking this week to focus on all our favorite, hook-tastic products and projects.

Having fallen deep into the crochet rabbit hole, it only seemed natural that I was completely intrigued and enamored with Curio from the moment our samples arrived at the office. And although it was a big departure from my usual size H or I hook, I decided to dedicated myself to Curio and a 1.5mm crochet hook for an entire weekend.

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Curio in the color, Lichen

I worked my way through a few vintage doily patterns that I found perusing Ravelry to familiarize myself with crochet thread. And to my surprise – I couldn’t stop making these! And that was when I realized that I needed a plan for my little, yet growing collection of doilies.

I finally settled on the idea of sewing my crocheted doilies onto a pillow cover – not only would I be able to use up my little motifs but I’d also get to dress up my living room with an embellished pillow!

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After I finished up a few more motifs, I went out and got a plain 20×20″ pillow cover. Next, I made sure to block the doilies. I pinned each motif down, making sure to stretch it quite a bit to show off all of the intricate stitches. Finally, I sprayed them with a bit of wool wash and water until they were fairly wet. The next day, they were dry and kept their shape beautifully after I removed all of the blocking pins!

I laid out the doilies on the pillow case and played with the arrangement for a bit before stitching them to the pillow. I sewed down the smaller motifs by working my way around the outer edges. For the larger motif, I also made sure to sew down the center to stabilize it a bit more.

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As you can see, I’ve still got quite a lot of space to fill up but I’m looking forward to adding onto the design as I go. In the beginning of this project, I was originally using several colors of Curio for my doilies but I eventually settled on using only the Lichen colorway. I might use the other doilies I finished to embellish fabric and display them in my living room with an embroidery hoop.

My favorite part has been experimenting with different motif sizes and shapes, plus Curio is so lovely and smooth which makes it easy to work with.

Being new to the world of crochet thread, I’d love to hear your project ideas for Curio!

Looking for doilies to crochet?  Check out the vast collection on Ravelry! 


5 comments

  1. Barb T / July 9, 2013

    Jennie K, if you’re interested, Leisure Arts put out dozens of books for thread crochet in the 70’s and 80’s. One series I remember was “A Year in Doilies”. One designer/author I remember also put out several books of doily designs, Patricia Kristoffersen. They’ll be in used book shops or yard sales — and maybe even on Ravelry where folks are selling them. Sorry, I’m not selling any of mine.

    Barb

  2. Monica / July 6, 2013

    Beautiful! This would be a great way to embellish a skirt, too.

  3. Fran L / July 2, 2013

    Thank you so much for Curio!!! I love it !! I am so happy there is a Crochet tread out there feels so yummy AND has awesome colors to pick from!!

  4. Mary M. / July 2, 2013

    I LOVE this! I really want to try some Curio…the colors are so beautiful. This is a genius idea for displaying little crocheted creations! =)

  5. Babycakes Creates / July 1, 2013

    Beautiful! What a smart use of motifs. I can’t wait to try Curio – I have been on quite the doily/thread crochet kick lately!

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