Pillows of Plenty

When I decided to sew a slipcover for my love seat, I also wanted some fun new pillows to brighten up the decor. Side note: my original goal was to sew slip covers for both the couch and love seat, but I have since decided to hold off on the couch. While I really like the look of my newly neutral tan love seat, the fabric is not as durable as I had hoped. And it was A LOT of work. So for now, I can live with one tan couch and one floral couch.

Back to the pillows... which are WAY easier to sew than slipcovers. By a landslide. I was inspired by some of these beautiful fold over pillows with buttons, from Pottery Barn. See the long rectangular red one? They are about $25 each for just the pillow cover (not including the actual pillow inside). I decided that I could probably make a couple of my own.

I set to work with some fabric off the discount table at Jo-Ann's.

I cut a long rectangle, approximately 52 inches long by 12 inches. You can make it shorter or wider.

I folded it (inside out), to where I wanted the fold and overlap to be. I pinned the main flap to itself, to keep it in place. You do not need to seam the under side flap. Just make sure you leave enough fabric to tuck all the way under. Sew down the entire length of both long sides. Turn your pillow right-side out.

Here is what the inside of the flap looks like. I selected some big buttons, a little larger than a quarter, and sewed them to the outside flap. The buttons actually hold the top fold together.

Now it's time to stuff your pillow. Cotton stuffing can be a little pricey, especially if you are making a bunch of pillows. Look around your house, decide if there are any old pillows you are willing to take apart. Re-purpose bedroom pillows or out-dated throws.

Here it is before and after stuffing. Voila! Pottery Barn style pillows that were so easy to make!

I made another PB style pillow. Here is the store's version for $39.

I made this one myself, using a PB dinner napkin in the same pattern for $6! I put solid fabric on the back. Talk about cost savings!

I like finding ways to make new things AND save money. 

Here are some fake leather (A.K.A. "Pleather") pillows from Overstock.com.

I made this dark brown pleather pillow of my own, with material from the sale table at Jo-Ann's (that clearance table is a gold mine!). It's actually backed with felt, so it's not as difficult to sew as you might think.

I made a couple simple yellow pillows to spruce up my dining room chairs.

There you have it. A few pillow creations based on inspiration from Pottery Barn. You already know that I love making pillows. They are a simple way to change up any room, and making them yourself can really save you some moo-lah.