i don't know about you, but i love changing up my decor, and pillows seem to be one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do so. pillows are also such a great way to add pops of color and pattern that wouldn't otherwise be in a room. i took a few sewing classes in college, they were fun and i learned so much. in my home decor class we learned to make envelope pillow covers. i love these, they are simple to make and slip on and off easily, allowing you to change them up as often as you like as well as wash them when they get dirty (a huge plus in my book!).
i also like being able to buy good pillow forms (a lot of times joann's has them on sale or you can use a coupon. i've also bought them from fabric.com and have been really happy.) and then find fabric i love and make my own. it's usually so much cheaper, plus i get exactly what i want.
did i mention they are easy? like, super, super easy? like you can make them in 10-20 minutes easy?
even if you don't think you can sew, i promise you can make these! all it takes is a tiny bit of math and sewing four straight lines. that's it!
(this is how big you will need to cut your fabric. if you don't have enough fabric you can add some to the ends, they will be hidden in the back.)
(woops, typo! i said "so" twice :)
did that make sense? hope so. if not ask away, and i'll try to answer any questions.
now go and add some color to your house! it will lift your spirits and ward off any winter blues, promise :)
++ update ++
here is what the back looks like, the ends come together to overlap about 4 or 5 inches, more or less depending on how much fabric you have though. i've made some pillow covers that didn't quite have enough fabric, so the edges don't overlap all of the way, but it always works out somehow :)






awesome. need this! thank you.
ReplyDeleteI thought I commented on this earlier, but I guess it didn't go through.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, THANK YOU for this tutorial! The timing is perfect. I'm just about to redecorate and my first thought was "I need new, fun pillows", but I suck at zippers. This is a perfect solution. I'll be making some bright ones very soon. :)
(quick question about step 3/4... am I lining up the hemmed edges so they meet perfectly over the pillow, or am I folding them to meet after I wrap the pillow tightly? I know this is how you make the 'envelope' opening part, so I didn't want to screw it up... it's kind of an important step!)
great question! sorry, i didn't make that part very clear, but you want them to overlap. so fold one side over so it's snug, then fold the other side over so it's on top, and make sure it's snug too. this is the "envelope" part, and will be how you stuff the pillow form in at the end. and in step 4 when i say "line up the hemmed edges," i mean make sure they are nice and straight, but still overlapping. does that make sense? i'm new to writing out instructions, so hopefully it makes sense!
Deleteglad you can use the tutorial, and good luck with your pillows!
xo
That's what I figured, but I wanted to double check before I ruined any fabric. :) Thanks for clearing that up!
DeleteThanks for the measurements! I want to try this and also add a ruffle down the middle of another fabric.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I LOVE this! Where did you get your fabric? I am in LOVE with the navy one!
ReplyDeletethanks so much! i got all the fabric from fabric.com. here's a link to the navy fabric:
Deletehttp://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=04ed1f4e-1ce8-4ae8-bc78-18f050e576d9
they have it in other colors too, hope that helps!
xo
Love these pillows (and the easy tutorial!). I, too, love the fabrics. Could you tell me what the floral fabric on the middle pillow is?
ReplyDeleteit's this one right here: http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-contemporary-fabric-robert-allen-kiki-pinata.aspx?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b
Deletei love that fabric too!
xo
hello! my name is ashley, I used this last night for a my living room remodel and I LOVE IT! seriously best pillow cover tutorial ever- easy and perfect! anyways - I will be featuring you on my blog tomorrow when I do the tutorials for my projects- so stay tuned! Much love!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.justinandashleyrefresh.com/
so glad you like it! and i love that chevron pillow you made, so cute!
Deletexo
These look amazing! What pattern is the coral pillow? I love the color
ReplyDeleteit's cats cradle in papaya by robert allen. here's where i bought it:
Deletehttp://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=32d20c7a-8fec-4371-ad93-ecd770512a4e
hope that helps!
xo
Your fabric is great, where do you purchase from?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Vanessa
thanks vanessa! i buy most of my fabric from fabric.com, and links to all the fabrics in this post are in the comments above! hope that helps!
Deletexo
Really great tutorial - so simple! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial. I tought someone to sew their first project today with it and she did great. Thanks for inspiring a non-sewer. (smile) I will post her project soon and link back to you.
ReplyDeletethat's awesome! can't wait to see!
Deletexo
Gorgeous! I actually clicked over from pinterest to find where to get those incredible fabrics! I found them and am ordering now! Thank you! AND what a fabulous tutorial!
ReplyDeleteXO, Mallory @ Classy Clutter
Love this! I am a non-sewer and even i could figure it out. I just whipped 2 out in 30 min. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this technique, I made my pillows the old fashioned way sewing them all the way around not wanting to be bothered with zippers. I would take the bottom a loose remove the form and re-sew with a different fabric. I love learning new ways of doing things. Love it!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo excited about this tutorial! I think me and my novice sewing skills can handle this one! I am going to blog about it when I'm done (as long as they turn out...), so I will be sure to link back to this tutorial. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea, especially since you can wash it without adding a zipper. I am a new to sewing, so I am a little naive. Did you hand sew this or use a sewing machine?
ReplyDeleteMade them! I used fabric I had on hand for a practice run. Love em! So I ordered some fancy fabric from fabric.com too! Thanks for posting - I had fun and sure enough I made 2 of them in a short perid of time!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this ! Thanks ! Also would love a picture of the back of your pillows so I could visualize that part. And how much do they overlap in the back??
ReplyDeleteI updated it for you up top! hope that helps!
Deletexo
Excellent and simple tut....thanks so much. I love a quick pillow cover and this one fits the bill. Love your site btw. Darling. Will be following. :0)
ReplyDeleteGenius!!! So much easier than hand sewing it closed or sewing in a zipper. Definitely bookmarking this page :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfectly written tutorial. I made 2 covers today. They look amazing. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLove these! I'm thinking of placing an order for some fabric soon. Obviously it depends on how big the pillows are, but do you ever get two covers out of one yard? I'm not great at sewing but I'm pretty sure I can do this :)
ReplyDeleteYou must get a lot of traffic from Pinterest! That's where I found ya!
ReplyDeleteThe tutorial was great and easy to find!
Here are my results!
http://jugglingmotherhood.com/2013/03/08/use-up-the-fabric-youve-been-hoarding-by-making-quick-and-easy-throw-cushions/
Thanks for the great tutorial! I just finished my pillows and they are perfect. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful tutorial. I've made pillows before, but the process seemed a lot more difficult than it should have. I made a pillow in 15 minutes using your method! It's perfect! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
I was wondering, did you do a single stitch or triple stitch on the hems. These are great hy the way!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeletewhat a excellent pillow design!Here is a link that I think you will find interesting. Thanks for this wonderful post and hoping to post more of this.
Pillow Sale