DIY Decorative Country Pillows

Sewing envelope pillows allows you to combine bold fabrics and colors.

Country home decor often mixes together comfortable, functional pieces of furniture with interesting prints and farmhouse-inspired decor. Adding printed or patterned pillows helps dress up neutral furniture such as a couch, love seat or chair. Making homemade pillows using a country-inspired fabric allows you to breathe some country flair into any space. A traditional envelope pillow is a fairly simple sewing project and works well with patterned fabric.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 yard of country print fabric
• 1/2 yard of solid or gingham fabric in coordinating color
• Fabric marker
• Iron
• Yard stick or straight edge
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread in coordinating color
• Snap
• Needle
• 16-inch pillow form
• Button
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Unroll the country print fabric face down on the work surface. Fold the fabric in half with the right sides together. Use an iron to press out any wrinkles in the fabric. Use a straight edge to draw a 17-inch-by-17-inch square on the back of the fabric. Cut out the squares. Be sure you cut through both layers of the fabric to create two fabric squares.

2. Unroll the second piece of fabric and iron out any wrinkles. Fold the fabric in half. Draw a triangle on the fabric so the long side measures 16 1/4 inches and the shorter, angled sides measure 10 inches. Cut through both layers of fabric to create two triangles.

3. Thread the sewing machine with thread that coordinates to the fabrics. Pin the two triangles together with the right sides facing out. Set the sewing machine to a straight, regular stitch. Sew along the two angled sides removing the pins as you sew.

4. Place the two squares cut in the first step on top of one another with the right sides facing. Pin the squares together on three sides using straight pins. Sew three sides of the rectangle together keeping the stitches 1/2 inch from the edge to create a seam.

5. Turn the pillow fabric right side out through the open side. Separate the back and front edges of the open end of the pillow. Fold each edge toward the inside about 1/2 inch. Pin in place. Sew along the front edge, removing the pins as you go.

6. Fold the unsewn edge of the triangle toward the back 1/2 inch and pin in place. Sew along this edge. Pin the newly sewn edge to the back edge of the open side on the pillow. Sew the two pieces together using a straight stitch.

7. Fold the triangle over to the front of the pillow. Measure up toward the top about 1 inch from where the point of the triangle meets the front of the pillow. Mark this point on both the front of the pillow and the triangle flap.

8. Center the base of a snap on the mark on the front of the pillow. Thread a needle with coordinating thread and hand sew the snap base in place. Repeat on the flap, this time sewing the other half of the snap in place on the inside of the flap.

9. Choose a decorative button that coordinates with the pillow fabric. Center the button on the outside of the envelope flap where the snap is located on the inside of the flap. Place a dab of craft glue on the back of the button and glue in place.

Tips & Warnings

• You may also substitute a piece of lace, vintage fabric or heirloom fabric to create the triangles. Polyester fiberfill may also be used to stuff the pillow. In this case, you must hand sew the two open edges together so the stuffing does not fall out. Using a pillow form allows you to remove the pillow fabric.

References

• Cranston Village: Envelope Pillow
• Sew 4 Home; Vintage Envelope Pillow; Jami Boys; March 2009
• Sewing.org; Envelope Pillow