Toss Pillows Brighten Room, Add To Color

A cluster of gaily colored tossed pillows added to a simple, basic room has much the same morale boosting effect as the bright, spring flower corsage added to a good, basic suit.

The pillow, in various sizes and shapes, is becoming a popular accessory for more reasons, too. Pillows may be used to introduce strong accent colors into an otherwise predominantly neutral room. Big floor pillows are colorful additions to seating space especially favored by the young in years. The rise of many variations of j the bench-table combination calls for tailoring seat cushions which can be used to convert the table to a bench.

And let's not forget to mention the pillow's virtue as an aid to comfort when tucked under an elbow or behind the head.

The girl with a hope chest to fill or the young homemaker looking for a springtime pick-me-up for a living room or bedroom might investigate the pillow patterns, the pre-cut forms and the piece goods counters for make-them-yourself ideas.

Ready-made scatter pillows are everywhere, but many will prefer to sew them at home. It's a project that's not difficult, yields results in a hurry and will bring just the color note you want. For many of the smaller sizes, remnant pieces of fine fabrics represent a substantial saving in money without sacrifice of quality. You will want to consider fabric from the standpoint of maintenance, too.

The homemaker with children will be mindful of fabrics that look plushy, but are washable. Cotton taffetas, cotton satins and corduroys are among those that fit the picture. New corduroy prints in plaids, paisleys, florals or stripes take the same brilliant velvety colors as the solid pinwales.

This spring, there is a gorgeous range of Oriental colors such as Siamese pink, purple, sharp blues and greens. The heart of the pillow is the stuffing. Precut shapes in foam rubber or urethane are ready to be covered: the same materials bought by the yard can be cut to pattern size.

For softer pillows you might use down feathers. The easiest coverings to make are rectangular or square shaped, Corded piping or welting and boxed sides give a neatly tailored effect. For more feminine effects in bedrooms, substitute a ruffle for the piping. With many solid-colored corduroys and similar suitable fabrics matched to colors in the prints, combinations of the two offer attractive variations.

The front and back of a pillow may be print fabric colored sides. with solid- if you are using small pillows, consider cutting and sewing two covers at the same time. This gives a quick change of scene when one cover is being cleaned or a seasonal shift of color accents.