Wednesday, November 7, 2012

DIY Pillows


I was so happy with how these pillows turned out.  I am not a master seamstress, but overall, this turned out great.  Most of that has to do with the fabric and how cute the designs are.  So here are my tips and how-to on adding new, inexpensive pillows to your home.


1. Either use old pillow forms or pick some up from your favorite store.  I went to JoAnne's when they were having 50% off their pillow forms. 
2. Pick the fabrics you like.  The beige designs I found at World Market and they were actually a cotton napkin set.  This was actually a super economical way to do pillows and I used a muslin for the back.  Make sure to prewash all your fabric so you can wash them down the road without shrinking!
3. Decide the measurements of your pillows.  If you have purchased the forms new, the packaging will tell you.  Mine were 16"x16", 18"x18", 20"x20".  With this in mind, I created my patterns.  For my pattern, I chose to build the front 3/4" smaller than the actual pillow so that the fit is tight.  For the back, I created two separate pieces that overlapped to create an envelope close.  My measurements for the back pieces were:
16x16 -  15 1/4 x 7 & 15 1/4 x 11 (and then adjusted acordingly for the larger sizes)
Sew one of the back pieces to the top of the front (right sides together) and the other back piece to the bottom of the top piece.  Still right sides together, sew the edge seams of the pillow (the back pieces should overlap).  Your pillow should be complete, just flip it right sides out.


Be creative!  I found this slate colored fabric in the JoAnne's remnant bin and it was an extra 50% off.  You can use scraps of fabric you have to piece together the front.  Make sure when you finish the top piece, it still measures 3/4" smaller than the actual pillow measurement. 


For this last pillow, I did the seams on the outside for a scrappier look. 

We plan to use these pillows in our upstairs loft.  We have dormers and have purchased two of these benches and the pillows will fit just right in that space. 

Sweet & Simple!

Sharing with:
Live Laugh Linky Thursday
Thrifty 101
Made U Look
Creative Juices Thursday
Seven Alive
A Crafty Soiree
Wow Us Wednesday





5 comments:

  1. Cute! Love the fabrics you chose!

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  2. Cute pillows & gorgeous fabrics! I'd love for you to share this at my link party Submarine Sunday. It's open until Friday @ 11:59pm. I hope you'll stop by!

    T'onna
    http://navywifeypeters.blogspot.com/2012/11/submarine-sunday-5.html

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    1. Thank you, just checked out your blog and love it!

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  3. So so pretty! I just recently made pillows for the first time since elementary school! :)

    We just got our link party up and running and would love if you came and joined in on the fun. Each week we are giving away free ad space for one week to one random party goer. Our main site gets thousands of hits per day and The Better Half gets thousands per week. Hope to see you there! http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/the-humble-brag-link-party-6/

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  4. These are just gorgeous pillows, and I love your tips! Thanks for sharing both on A Crafty Soiree :)

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