Instructions for Sewing Pillows with Ruffles
Adding ruffled pillows to your couch or bed is an easy design trick when you don't have the time or money for a decorating overhaul. Premade ruffles come in endless styles and colors. Look in the bargain bins of your local fabric store for some great fabrics and trim to transform any room. These tips will help you on your way.
-
Shopping for Materials
-
A 16-by-16 inch pillow with a 1-inch seam allowance and ruffle, uses only 1 yard of fabric, total. Head to your local fabric store and ask for remnants and clearance upholstery fabric. Stores are happy to unload these scraps at a fraction of their original cost.
Because you aren't spending millions on materials, experiment with the color and style of your ruffled pillow. If, for instance, you find an elegant floral upholstery fabric in a deep burgundy, add a denim ruffle. For a little girl's room, mix a pink polka dotted ruffle with a pink plaid pillow fabric. Large, 3-by-3 feet round floor pillows gain an expensive look with the addition of a ruffle. The designs are endless and fun to try.
The ruffles you use can be premade or sewn at home, both are simple to sew. The size of the ruffle depends on your taste. Any ruffle over 3 to 4 inches, however, will need a stiff fabric to maintain its shape.
The amount of ruffle needed for a pillow is double the inches of the pillow's four sides. Say the pillow measures 16-by-16 inches, with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, multiply 16 by 16 to arrive at 256 square inches. Doubling 256 inches, gives you 512 inches of ruffles which is rounded to14-1/2 yards.
Don't get so absorbed in fabric and ruffle shopping, you forget to buy a pillow form (or stuffing) and matching thread!
Sewing Ruffles
-
Ruffles make an easy trim for any pillow. Before you sew the pillow's front and back together, pin the ruffle around all four edges of the top fabric. Make sure you pin the ruffle to the front side of the fabric.
Premade ruffles will have a lip behind the ruffle. Align this lip to the pillow edges before pinning the ruffle to the fabric. The ruffle itself should be facing the pillow's center. Don't feel intimidated by the corners. Bend the ruffle lip in a "V" and pin the ruffle to the corner. The ruffle material will seem a bit bunched but, as long as you have a neat "V" pinned at the corner, the pillow will look fine.
Making your own ruffle isn't much harder than using a pre-made version. Cut a strip of fabric according to the ruffle width you want. Hem one long side of the strip 1/4 inch from the edge.
Iron the material flat with the front side facing down. Begin at one end of the ruffle strip and create a crease every 1 to 2 inches by pinching the fabric together, about 1/2 inch, and folding it over on itself. Iron the fold in place, using starch if necessary. Make certain the folds are ironed flat and a bit stiff before moving ahead.
Lay the ruffle with the ruffle's front facing down onto the pillow's front. The ruffle front and pillow front will be touching as you pin the ruffle along the edges. Use the same technique as above, aligning the ruffle's edge to the pillow's edge. If necessary, make a 1/4-inch cut in the ruffle's bottom edge for each corner. This will make it easier to fold the ruffle into a "V." As you sew the ruffle to the pillow front, sew above the small corner cut.
Finish the pillow by sewing the other piece of fabric on top of the ruffled piece, front sides facing. Leave a gap and turn the pillow cover inside out. Insert your pillow form or stuffing and sew the gap closed. Take your ruffled pillow and lay down for a nice rest on the couch.
-
