How to Recover Existing Pillows

Pillows are a wonderful accessory and can change the entire look of a room, but they are very expensive. If you have pillows now and they aren't the right color or are worn out, recover them. It's a simple sewing job and you'll be so thrilled with the results that you will start looking at pillow forms differently. Add piping or tufted buttons for a new flair.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Material
• Sewing machine
• Metal tooth zipper
• Piping cord
• Scissors
• Button forms
• Needle
• Heavy nylon thread
• Iron dressmaker's chalk

1. Measure your existing pillow. Add 2 inches of ease on all sides for seams. Purchase fabric to match the measurement. If you want piping around the edges, purchase another yard of fabric because piping is made by cutting diagonal fabric.

2. Make a simple throw pillow by sewing two pieces of measured material together. Leave one side open. Stuff the pillow back inside and hand-stitch it shut.

3. Add piping to the edge of one side of the fabric for a more professional look. Fold the second yard of material in half diagonally and iron on that line. Mark a line 2 inches from the fold. Cut the strip. Refold the fabric; mark and cut until you have several lengths of diagonal fabric.

4. Sew them all together for one long strip. Lay piping cord in the center, fold over and sew as close to the piping cord as you can. Pin the cording, also called welting, to the right side edge of the pillow fabric, cording facing the inside of the pillow material. Seam both sides, right side together with cording sandwiched between. Sew snug against the cording for best results. This may be finished the same way as a throw pillow. Before you hand-stitch through the fabric and the welting, sew the cord welting in place to make the job easier.

5. Install a metal teeth zipper measured the width of the pillow opening. If it is too long, carefully zigzag over the metal teeth and tuck the excess inside the pillow as it is stitched in place. Install by seaming one side of the fabric with a long-running stitch. Iron the seam open and lay the zipper face down against the seam. Sew as close to the teeth as you can up one side and down the other. Carefully open the seam. Open the zipper. Finish the other seams and turn the pillow right side out. Insert the pillow and zip shut.

6. Insert a decorative tufted self-covered button in the center of the pillow. Follow instructions on the self-covered button package to cover two buttons with pillow fabric. Thread a heavy sewing needle with nylon thread and secure one button to the middle of one side of the fabric. Push the needle through and secure the second button on the other side. Sew back and forth until the buttons are secured.

References

• Simplest Throw Pillow Instructions
• Buttons, Pping and Mitering
• Add a Zipper