How to Make a Round Bolster Slipcover

Slipcover your bolster pillow with new fabric for a new look.

Give your bolster pillow a makeover or cover a plain pillow form with a bolster slipcover. Not just for furniture, changeable pillow slipcovers give you dressmaker style without tying you down to just one look. Bolster pillows are tube shaped with round ends. They are a bit more complicated to slipcover than their square or rectangular counterparts. Make a bolster slipcover when you redecorate, or make one for every season.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth measuring tape
• Slipcover fabric
• Scissors
• Drawing compass
• Ironing board
• Iron
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

1. 

   Measure the bolster pillow.

   Measure the length of the bolster pillow with a flexible cloth measuring tape. Measure across one of the round ends of the bolster to get the diameter. Wrap the measuring tape around the bolster for the circumference.

2. 

   Cut a piece of your slipcover fabric to your required dimensions.

   Add 1 inch to the length measurement and 6 inches to the circumference measurement. Cut a piece of your slipcover fabric to your required dimensions.

3. 

   Use a compass to draw a circle on your fabric.

   Divide the diameter by two for the radius, and then add 1/2 an inch to the radius. Set a compass for the total, and draw a circle on your fabric. Cut out the circle of fabric. Cut out a second circle of fabric, using the first one as a pattern.

4. Cut 1/4-inch deep, v-shaped notches around the edge of each fabric circle. Space the notches 1 inch apart.

5. 

   Press the fold with a warm iron.

   Lay the rectangular piece of fabric on an ironing board, right side down. Fold one of the ends cut to the length measurement up 1 inch. Press the fold with a warm iron. Fold it up another inch, and press it again with the iron. Pin the fold in place. Repeat with a second set of folds on the opposite end of the fabric rectangle.

6. 

   Sew a straight seam along the length of the folded end.

   Place the pinned fabric on a sewing machine, with the fold to the right and the rest of the fabric to your left. Sew a straight seam along the length of the folded end, 1/4 inch from the inner edge of the fold. Repeat with the second folded end. Remove the pins.

7. Pin one of the fabric circles to an unfolded side of the fabric rectangle, right sides together. Overlap the rectangular fabric when you reach the end of the circle; the rectangular piece will be longer than the circumference of the circle.

8. Repeat Step 6 with the second fabric circle and the other unfolded side of the fabric rectangle. Align the overlapping rectangle edge pinned to the first fabric circle with the second so that the overlapping edge forms a straight line between the two circles.

9. Machine stitch the fabric circles to the fabric rectangles. Sew with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Remove the pins.

10. Turn the slipcover right side out. Insert the bolster pillow or form into the opening made by the overlapping folded ends along the length of the slipcover.

Tips & Warnings

• For printed fabrics, center the fabric pattern the same way on each circle of fabric.

• If you plan to wash your bolster slipcover, choose a washable fabric and preshrink it before cutting.

• If your fabric tends to ravel, cut the fabric with pinking shears and skip Step 4.

References

• Wayne Shielly; Bartlett Home Furnishings; Memphis, Tennessee
• Canadian Living: 2 Easy-Sew Bolster Covers

Resources

• Digs Magazine: Make a Bolster Pillow