I have been wanting to do pillows for my couch for months now. While I do LOVE the look of those super cute burlap pillows, I can’t imagine laying my head on one. So… I have been eyeballing these pillows over at PB… So cute and simple and I love the big buttons. I decided to make some and came up with a few short cuts and tips along the way. This is how I made my PB pillows for 1/3 of the price…
You will first need to know the size of your pillow form. I used a 20X20 form for this pillow.
~Cut 3 pieces of your fabric. The first one should be 2″ wider on one side and 4″ wider on the other side. I cut my first piece 22″ x 24″. The second piece will also be 22″ on one side and half that on the other. I cut mine 22″ x 11″. The third piece will be 22″ on one side and 3/4 of that size on the other… I cut mine 22″ x 17″. I found this awesome fabric at Joann’s with the quilting fabric and it is similar to a canvas but only $4.99 a yard. For my initial pillow you will see below I used a $4 drop cloth from the paint section at Lowes.
~Finish one 22″ side on each of your smaller pieces. I used a serger to finish mine. If you are using only a sewing machine just fold the edge over twice about 1/4″ each time and press it with the iron.
~Now for your big piece… I like the look of the PB button but I decided to make mine a faux button because it’s easier and nobody will ever know:) Decide where you want your seam to be on the front of the pillow… I like mine on the side like PB’s. Fold your fabric over 1″ and press it with your iron. This now made that piece of fabric 22″ x 22″.
~Use your machine to run a stitch about 1/8″ from the crease of your fold. This will be the front of your pillow.
~This is the best time to add your button. If you have a machine just attach it using your zigzag stitch without your feed dogs. If you don’t know how to machine stitch your button, just hand sew that puppy on.
~Above is what the top of your big piece should look like…~Now lay your two smaller pieces on top of the big piece. You want your good sides to face each other. Your two smaller pieces will overlap by a few inches which will be where you insert your form once finished. Pin your edges to hold everything together. It should look like mine does below.
~Now use your machine to sew all four edges together… I used my serger so yours may look a bit different.. Just run a straight stitch about 1/8″ from the edge down each side. When you are finished take all your pins out.
~ Now the fun part… don’t worry… you are almost done:) Turn the whole thing right side out. Make sure you use your fingers to push your corners out straight and run your iron over all four edges to get a crisp finish. Below is mine just before I ironed it.
~ Now take your machine and make a straight stitch 2″ from each side around the entire sham. This will give you your finished edge.
~Your stitch should look like mine below…
~Now stuff that pillow form in from the back and you are done…. Woohoo… and wasn’t it easy. Now I did my very best to explain this in a few of words as possible SO…. if you are confused on any part or have any questions just leave me a comment or email. Just make sure you leave your return email so I can get back to you. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial… This is a bit more lengthy and boring than most but I wanted to help you girls make your own:) Now sit back and enjoy my new pillows… Did I mention that these were 1/3 of the price of PB??? Yeah!
