A Tutorial on How to Sew a Floor Pillow

Large floor pillows help turn a home's floors into inviting, relaxing spaces.

Make your living space even more inviting by adding some plush, comfortable floor pillows around the space. These are perfect for lounging on the floor watching a movie, playing with the kids or even creating a comfy reading nook on the floor. Best of all, creating these cushions at home is a simple DIY project, perfect for the novice on a sewing machine. With the wide array of fabric choices, it is simple to customize this project to match your home’s décor, your children’s rooms or even their favorite colors.

Things You'll Need

• 2 1/2 yards of fabric or felt (1 1/4 yards of each color)
• Iron
• Ruler
• Chalk
• Scissors
• Alphabet stencils (optional)
• Masking tape (optional)
• Fabric paint (optional)
• Paper plate (optional)
• Foam brush (optional)
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread
• Needle
• 36-by-36-inch pillow forms or polyester fiberfill

Instructions

1. Choose one fabric color or pattern to serve as the front of the pillow and the other to serve as the back. Unroll one of the fabric choices wrong side up onto the flat work surface. Iron the fabric to remove any wrinkles. Using chalk, trace out a 37-inch square on the back of the fabric. Cut out the square.

2. Repeat Step 1, substituting the other fabric pattern or color.

3. Flip the fabric for the front of the pillow over and choose the appropriate alphabet stencil. Center a large letter in the center or cover the pillow front with several little letters. Use masking tape to hold the stencils in place.

4. Squeeze fabric paint into the center of a paper plate. Dip a foam brush into the fabric paint. Dab paint onto the stencils to apply the letters to the pillow front. Allow it to dry for an hour or 2 before gently peeling off the stencil. Allow the fabric paint to dry overnight.

5. Flip the stenciled fabric over so the wrong side faces up. Set the iron to cotton setting and iron the back of the fabric for 3 to 4 minutes. This heat sets the paint and makes it appropriate to machine wash.

6. Layer the fabric squares on top of one another with the right sides facing each other. Pin three sides of the fabric together using straight pins. Situate pins about 1 inch from the raw edges of the fabric.

7. Thread the sewing machine with a thread that coordinates to the colors chosen for the pillows. Set the sewing machine to a regular, straight stitch. Sew along the three pinned sides of the pillow, keeping the stitches 1 inch away from the edge. Remove straight pins from the project as you sew.

8. Turn the pillow right side out through the open side. Insert the pillow form or stuff the pillow with polyester fiberfill. Fold the raw edges into the pillow’s interior about 1 inch. Pin to hold the folded edges in place.

9. Thread a needle, using the same thread used to sew the other sides of the pillow. Hand-sew the remaining edge closed using small, even, straight stitches. Remove the straight pins as you sew.

Tips & Warnings

• Personalizing the pillows can help each member of the family feel included in the space. In general, most fabric paint is easy to heat set with an iron. However, each brand differs slightly, so be sure to read the paint tube before heat setting.

References

• Save On Crafts: How to Make Decorator Floor Pillows
• Apartment Therapy; How to Make “Fold, Stitch and Stuff” Floor Cushions; Shelly; February 2010
• Craft Stylish; How to Make a Hawaiian-Style Floor Pillow; Nicole Smith; July 2010
• The Purl Bee; Molly’s Sketchbook: Hawaiian Style Felt Floor Pillow; June 2010