How to Sew a Decorative Pillow

Sewing a decorative pillow is easy. In fact, it's probably the first thing you did in home economics. In case you've forgotten, this tutorial will show you how to make a basic pillow out of any fabric.

Adding a decorative pillow is a cheap way to redecorate and add some pizazz to any room. It will allow you to be your own interior designer, choosing a pillow shape and fabric that is right for your home.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• fabric of choice
• matching thread
• stuffing (store-bought or recycled)
• paper bags
• scissors
• needle
• fabric pencil or tailor's chalk (optional)
• fray stopper (optional)
• sewing machine (optional)

1. First you will need to decide what shape the pillow will be. It can be any shape, from square to round to oval to more complex shapes. For the purposes of this demonstration, I will make a pillow that is a 10x10 inch square. For more information on making easy, free patterns in different shapes, see my related ehow on making pillow patterns.

2. 

   Next, you'll draw your pattern by adding some extra length to your original measurements, called a seam allowance. In this case, I'll add a 1/2 inch seam allowance all the way around. This means I need to draw a square that is 11x11 inches. If you're making a more complex shape, draw it on the paper first then add the seam allowance around it.

3. 
   Fabric selvage edges together.

   Fold your fabric in half horizontally, with the RIGHT sides together. This may seem counter-intuitive at first--but remember, when you sew, you're working on what will be the *inside* of the finished pillow. Keep the selvage edges parallel so that the grain of the fabric remains straight.

4. 
   Fabric selvage edge.

   Not sure what the selvage of the fabric is? It's simply the part that is tightly woven and runs along both vertical edges of the fabric.

5. 

   Place the pattern on the folded fabric, and pin at regular intervals. Make sure the center of your pattern runs parallel to the selvage edge. If you have a rectangular or square shape, you can place one side even with the selvage, as shown here.
   
   Cut carefully around the pattern, through both layers of fabric.

6. 
   Pinned and marked pillow.

   Remove the pattern. Keep the pieces of fabric RIGHT sides together and pin at regular intervals. If sewing by hand, you may want to mark the seam allowance with a fabric pencil--when marking, note that you will a portion at bottom left unmarked!
   
   If you are using a sewing machine, you will be able to use the machine's guide for your seam allowance.

7. 
   Sewn pillow, with bottom left edge unsewn.

   You will now sew the pillow. You can do this by hand or with a machine. Starting at the bottom left, sew up the left side. Continue around the border of the pillow, but do not sew ALL the way around. Leave a few inches unsewn on the bottom border.

8. 

   Trim the corners of the fabric as shown; this will allow the shape to be accurate when you turn the pillow right-side out. If you have a pattern with an deep angle or curve, clip into the seam allowances. Apply fray-stopper if you have it.

9. 
   Pulling the pillow right side out.

   Turn the pillow right side out. Reach into the bottom left and pull the fabric from the opposite corner through the unsewn opening.

10. 
    Pushing and pulling into shape.

    Push the corners out with your fingers, to make sure the pillow has reached true shape.

11. 

    Fill the pillow with your desired stuffing. You can purchase synthetic stuffing at any fabric store. A greener option is to re-use other material--say, clean rags or old sheets torn into strips, which is what I've used here. Whatever stuffing you choose, push it through the opening and stuff until your pillow is as full as you like. Don't forget to push the stuffing into the corners.

12. 
    Finishing the bottom edge.

    Finish sewing the bottom edge by hand, pushing the seam allowances down as shown to create a neat edge. Run the needle under only the bottom layer of fabric nearest to you (not both bottom laters), then come up through the folded edge of the top layer.

13. 

    Voila, a pillow! I've used a very plain cotton fabric for ease of demonstration, but you can follow the same steps to sew a decorative pillow with any fabric.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase fabric at a fabric store or re-use old sheets, curtains, and even clothes, depending on the size.
• You can use also use a pre-made foam pillow form. In this case, you will need to leave the entire bottom of the pillow unsewn in step 7, and finish by hand.
• It is also possible to add fringe or piping around the pillow's edges; do this before step 6, making sure to face the fringe inside the seam allowance.
• You can embroider, bead, or otherwise embellish the fabric on the pillow, but do this before pinning and sewing the pillow together in step 6.
• Measure twice and cut once--you won't be able to undo wrong cuts to the material!
• When using decorator or fancy fabric, be patient and work slowly.
• If using fabric with patterns that need to be matched (stripes, floral designs, etc.), buy extra fabric. Also, you will need to cut out the two halves of the pillow separately, one layer at a time, and with the fabric RIGHT SIDE OUT, to make sure the pattern matches up on both sides.