By Molly Watson, Sunset food writer

When I saw Jess Chamberlain carrying this pillow and its kit (from Pick Up Sticks and featured in the October issue of Sunset) around the office, I planted the seed.

“Hey Jess,” I said, “what’s going to happen with that?” I hoped that instead of having it languishing in the corner of someone’s office, I could take it home. The pillows on my living room couch are in desperate need of an update. I made them using vintage black-and-white check material and oversized vintage buttons. They were awesome. Now, 7 years and one 4-year-old later, they are not so awesome. They are lumpy, ripped, and missing buttons.

The instructions were easy to follow (I would categorize myself as an advanced beginner knitter—I can knit killer baby booties and scarves, but the few sweaters I’ve done are ill-fitting at best!) and before long I had the pieces done. I had never felted anything before, but that went as smoothly as can be with hot water in a front-loading machine.

Two changes I made to the pattern: I did not cut the “flowers” into shapes, but left them in cheery little circles; and I embellished the “back” by knitting up brown versions of the stems and flowers to appliqué onto the cream side, making a nicely reversible pillow.

I’m so pleased with the results that I went right out and bought yarn to make another one. This time it will be chartreuse and fushia, and I think I might knit opposite color stripes right into the pillow instead of doing the appliqué (sewing felted wool onto felted wool is tough business—my index finger is still sore). I’ll let you know how it turns out.