Easy Made Pillows

If you have a sewing machine or can borrow a friends you can make a pillow! Here's how:

Supplies:

Pillow insert

Fabric (s)

Cording (if you want a welt)

Sewing supplies:

measuring tape, pins, scissors, sewing machine, needle & thread, iron

Step 1: Fabric

Measure your pillow inserts seam to seam. Take the inches and convert it into yards. Fabric is sold in yards. If you want accent trim or welt measure all sides of the pillow. I buy enough yards so that I can cut one large strip of fabric, if you're doing a large pillow you might need more than one yard. Iron or seam your fabric before sewing.

Step 2: Welt

Cut three inch strips down the length of your welt fabric, long enough to go around the entire pillow. Fold in half and lightly iron. Insert cording (you can buy cording at a local craft or fabric store, I buy clothesline cording at a box store-it's half the price!)

Pin your cording at the top so it doesn't slide down into your fabric once you start sewing. Sew a straight stitch close to the cording.

Step 3: Cutting and Pinning

Cut two pieces of fabric for the front and back of your pillow. Make sure to measure twice and cut once. Don't forget to allow for the seam, add 1/4 " of fabric to each side.

Step 4: Sewing

Take one piece of fabric and place your welt/cording on the "right side" or the pretty side of the fabric and pin together. Sew your welt to one piece of the pillow fabric. Make sure to crisscross or overlap your welt and sew it into the seam to give you a finished edge.

Tip: When you're ready to overlap your cording, cut the cord so the ends are butted together inside your welt fabric casing. This allows for a cleaner edge and it's much easier to sew- DON'T attempt to sew over two layers of cording your sewing machine won't do it.

Once that is sewn, place the other piece of fabric right sides together so the pretty side of the pillow is on the inside and sew the front and back of your pillow together. MAKE SURE to allow a large enough opening to insert your pillow form.

Step 5: Finishing

Turn right-side out and make sure you've caught all your fabric edges, if not, go back and sew the place you missed (no one will ever know!) Clip or cut rounded / square corners so the pillow corners will lay like you want them to and not buckle or feel bulky.

After you've double-checked your seams, insert your pillow form. Tuck in your raw edge 1/4" and press it with an iron to give you a neat edge. Hand stitch your pillow closed! Depending on the size pillow you can make a couple in an afternoon!