How to Mitre Edge Pillows

Mitered-edge pillows have corner pieces sewn at 45-degree angles.

Decorative pillows pull together a color scheme and add warmth to any room. Pillow-making lends itself to many different styles and variations. One popular style is the mitre-edge pillow. This pillow has a central square edged by a border. Join the border pieces with a mitre seam at each corner for a tailored look.

Things You'll Need

• Pillow top fabric
• Pillow stuffing
• Sewing machine
• Pillow backing
• Ruler
• Hand-sewing needle
• Hand-sewing thread

Instructions

Sew Together Your Pillow Top

1. Measure the central square of your pillow. This square may be a single fabric or many pieces of fabric pieced together to form a square.

2. Cut 4 strips of border fabric the length of one side of your pillow plus 2 times the desired width of your border. Add seam allowance to this measurement.

3. Place right sides together with your central square and one border strip. Lay your central square face up on a flat surface. Position one strip of border fabric face down along one edge of the central square. The border strip should be placed so the extra length is distributed equally on each side of the central square.

4. Sew the border strip to the central square. With right sides together, place the central square and border strip on your sewing machine. Position the fabrics so your sewing needle will come down exactly at the corner of the seam allowance on the top edge of the central square. Lock your stitches by sewing forward several stitches and then back stitching before sewing forward to the bottom seam allowance of your central square. Lock stitches at this point as well.

5. Sew the remaining three border strips to your central square in the same manner.

Mitre the Pillow Top Corners

1. Press the pillow top to flatten the seam allowance against the border strips.

2. Lay your pillow top face up on a flat surface. Working on one corner at a time, spread one border strip out flat and overlap with the border strip on the perpendicular side.

3. Fold the central square diagonally, right sides together, forming a point where the two border strips meet.

4. Pin the border strips together so they will not slip out of place.

5. Place a ruler along the folded edge of the square and across the border strips. Mark carefully with a sewing pencil along the side of the ruler on the border strips.

Sew Your Mitred Corner

1. 

   Insert your needle in your starting point by turning the sewing machine wheel by hand.

   Begin at the corner of the central square. Insert your sewing machine needle into the border fabric pieces.

2. Sew along the marked line, locking stitches at each end of the seam.

3. Sew the other three mitred corners in the same manner.

Assemble Your Pillow

1. Trim all seam allowances to 1/4 inch. Press the pillow top.

2. Cut your backing fabric to the exact dimensions of your pillow top.

3. With right sides together, sew the top and bottom together on three sides. Leave a space in the center of the fourth side large enough to insert your pillow stuffing. Make certain to lock stitches as you sew a portion of the fourth side on each side, as the seams at the opening will be stressed by stuffing the pillow.

4. Blind stitch the edges of the opening together by hand sewing.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow a 1/2-inch seam allowance when sewing border strips to central square.

• If your sewing machine has blind-stitching capacity, close the pillow by machine.

References

• Better Homes and Gardens: Sewing Perfect Pillows
• Cranston Village: Hummingbird PIllow with Mitered Corners

Resources

• YouTube: How to Blind Stitch