I'm smocked, smocked, to find that, um, smocking is going on here.

Several years ago, when I was simultaneously making my wedding dress and some pillows for an art show/sale, I came across a sewing book in the public library. It caught my eye so I tossed it on my "to check out" pile. It was just one of many sewing books that came home that day. I did not know at that time that I would soon feel compelled to buy my own copy (after checking it out for a ridiculous number of times in a row) and that I would, in fact, often take it to bed with me and occasionally have to wipe a bit of drool away. And what book was it?
This book!
Yeah, maybe it's just me, but I love, love, love, looking at all of the textures and techniques over and over (though tracking down the proper diagrams to go with the instructions is a little difficult.) I'm a girl who loves color, so I'm sort of surprised that a book so full of monotones/neutrals excites me so, but it does. Which brings me to this. Again, gasp. I saw this book after looking at this blog and after a little frantic online searching, remembered that I work fairly close to a giant Japanese bookstore that would probably have it in stock.
And it did! So I had a little less cash and a little more happiness that day. The ISBN is 4579110714 if you don't work a few blocks away from such a bookstore.

All of this is a roundabout way of saying that I sat down and made some pillows using these elements as inspiration.
Some version of them may end up over here, if I can get my act together.

And I almost forgot, but this was also very inspiring.
Subtle, no?