Decorative pillows, dressed in the cheerful colors and patterns of the season, are an easy way to add a holiday touch. I like to sprinkle them throughout the house. But buying an extra set of pillows and storing them for 11 months of the year seems incredibly wasteful. So I devised a way to make a temporary pillow cover-up. I made a set of these in cheerful red and green plaid years ago and we’ve enjoyed them every December since. It takes only a moment to dress up my regular decorative pillows for the holidays. Then after the holidays, the pillow cover-ups are stored in a fraction of the space needed for actual pillows.
Making a Festive Pillow Cover-up isn’t difficult. It requires basic sewing skills and few hours of time. A popular-sized 18” square pillow requires about 1 yard of fabric— ½ yard of base fabric and ½ yard of accent fabric. Online sources, such as Spoonflower, have an endless variety of fabric designs. The base fabric is cut into a long rectangle which is sewn into an envelope—wrapping around the pillow and overlapping to form a pocket. The accent fabric is cut into 2 isosceles triangles which are sewn into the side seams. When it’s time to decorate, simply slip a decorative pillow into the cover-up and tie the triangles into a pretty knot.
Of course, pillow cover-ups aren’t limited to only Christmas—they could just as easily be made in fabric for other special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween or birthdays. They could also be used to refresh decorative pillows and left in place.
Why not give it a try? Here’s how it’s done.
Supplies Needed
NOTES: Be sure to consider the direction of the fabric’s design—see TIP below for explanation. The required yardage amount is based on an 18” square pillow—see Step 1 below to calculate fabric requirements for different pillow sizes.
. Base Fabric: ½ yard of 42” (or wider) cotton or other home decorating fabric. I chose a non-directional green print with pine cones and leaves.
. Accent Fabric: ½ yard of 42” (or wider) fabric. I chose a crisp red and white striped print.
. Thread
. Bias Tape (Optional): About 3 yards for an 18” square pillow. I chose single fold bias tape in red.
TIP: Consider the Direction of the Fabric’s Design The orientation of the fabric’s print or pattern comes into play in this project. It’s easiest to choose a non-directional design, such as the pine and evergreen print shown, because the fabric, and thus the resulting covered pillow, can be viewed from any direction.
Alternatively, to create a pillow cover-up with ties at the sides (as shown in this tutorial), choose the fabric designs carefully. The base fabric will be cut into a tall, thin rectangle giving it a portrait orientation. A regular design, which looks good with the fabric selvages positioned at the top and the bottom, will work best for the base fabric.
On the other hand, the accent fabric will be cut into a short, wide rectangle giving it a landscape orientation. A “railroaded” design, which looks good with the fabric selvages positioned at the right and left sides, will work best for the accent fabric.
By the way, the term “railroaded” is used to describe fabrics with a directional design running from selvage to selvage. Designs with letters, text, stripes, village scenes or landscapes are often railroaded. Shown below are a few examples of railroaded designs from my fabric stash. The elements in these designs (eg giraffes, palm trees, boats, houses and cyclists) have an obvious direction.
Tools and Equipment Needed
. Tape Measure
. Scissors or Rotary Cutter with Mat and Cutting Edge
. Sewing Machine
. Iron
. Standard Sewing Notions such as Pins
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Calculate Fabric Yardage If your pillow does not measure 18” square, start by determining the amount of fabric needed.
Measure your pillow to determine the height (h) and width (w). Multiply the height of your pillow by 2.5 to determine the height of the base fabric rectangle. The width of the base fabric rectangle will be the width of your pillow plus ½” for seam allowances.
The rectangle for the accent fabric has the opposite orientation. The height will be equal to the height of your pillow. Multiply the width of your pillow by 2.5 to determine the width of the accent fabric rectangle.
Please note the factor of 2.5 isn’t an exact science—the factor could vary from 2.3 to 2.6 —and a few inches more or less in the overlap will work fine.
Convert the size of the rectangles into yardage based on the width of your selected fabric. Fabric for home decorating is typically 42”, 45” or 54” wide.
Step 2. Prepare Ties Cut an 18” (h) x 42” (w) rectangle from the accent fabric. The ties are made from two isosceles triangles (ie a triangle with two equal sides and two equal angles). Cut the accent fabric in half horizontally resulting in 2 – 18” x 21” rectangles. Find the vertical center of the resulting rectangle and mark (ie at 9”). Cut from this midpoint to the top edge and the bottom edge of the opposite side (as shown below). Repeat for the second triangle.
Finish the long angled edges of the triangles with bias tape. I used single fold bias tape, in red, for added contrast. Alternatively, you could finish these edges with an overcast or zigzag stitch. Unfold the bias tape. Align the edge of the tape with one of the long angled sides of the triangle. Pin and stitch.
Wrap the bias tape to the back tucking all raw edges inside the fold. Pin and stitch. I find it easiest to stitch this second pass on the front while occasionally checking the back to ensure all layers are being caught in the seam. Repeat this process on the second long angled side of the triangle but leave the last 2-3”, at the tip of the triangle, unstitched. Trim and fold under the end of the bias tape as neatly as possible. Stitch the tip. The ends should be hidden inside the seam resulting in a clean finish. Repeat this process on the second tie.
Step 3. Prepare Base Fabric Rectangle Cut a 42”(h) x 18½”(w) rectangle from the base fabric. Overcast or zigzag one short edge of the base fabric rectangle. Fold under a ¼“ seam and stitch the other short edge. The long edges will be finished later.
Step 4. Assemble The trick to assembling the cover-up is to layer the pieces in a specific sequence. Start by laying the base fabric rectangle, with the right side facing up, on your working surface. The short end with the finished seam should be at the bottom of the working surface. Measure down 12“ from the top edge. Mark with pins at the right and left edges. Note if your pillow is not 18” square, determine this placement by centering the ties on the long edge of the base fabric rectangle.
Position a tie, right side facing down, over the base fabric rectangle. Align the short, straight side edge of the tie with the left side of the base fabric rectangle at the 12“ mark as shown. Pin in place.
Repeat with the second tie along the right side of the base fabric rectangle. Pin in place.
Flip up the bottom edge of the base fabric rectangle folding up at the bottom edge of the ties. Pin in place. Flip down the top edge of the base fabric rectangle folding down at the top edge of the ties. Pin all layers in place removing extra pins from previous layers. Stitch the side edges with a ¼“ seam allowance. Finish the side seams with an overcast or zigzag stitch.
Step 5. Finish Turn the cover-up right side out, pull ties free and push out corners. The opening, which is on the front of the pillow cover-up, will be hidden by the ties. Press.
Insert the pillow into the cover-up smoothing out the layers of fabric. Secure the ties in an attractive knot. Presto! Your Festive Pillow Cover-up is ready!
More Info
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The decorative pillow, shown above in its Festive Pillow Cover-up, is one of the fern photo pillows from the FanningSparks “Bring In the Outdoors – Fern Collection”. Get the scoop on this collection in the post Bring in the Outdoors – Fern Collection. This is the link to the FanningSparks shop on Spoonflower where you can order the cut-and-sew fern photo pillow covers. The post Basic Pillow DIY Tutorial provides step-by-step instructions to make these amazingly simple cut-and-sew pillows.
The stitched wooden bowl and sphere, shown above, are projects I shared recently. Full step-by-step instructions can be found in the posts Starry Stitched Sphere – DIY Tutorial and Stitched Wooden Bowl – DIY Tutorial.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Decorative pillows in holiday fabrics can add a festive touch to your home.
2. Dress up everyday pillows with a temporary cover-up for the holidays.
3. Festive pillow cover-ups are easy to make.
In today’s post, I’d like to share step-by-step instructions so you can make your own Starry Stitched Sphere. This project requires only a few supplies—basically wood and thread. The sphere is designed to be made from ¼” x 3½” wood and measures just over 6″ in diameter. Basic woodworking and hand stitching is involved.
. LED Lights (optional): Battery-operated LED lights can easily be inserted into the Starry Stitched Sphere. If you decide to add lights, you’ll want to maximize the amount of light that can shine through the drilled holes. You may want to drill bigger holes and/or minimize the amount of stitching on the stars.
Step 3. Saw Wood Pentagons Clamp wood to sturdy surface. Use the jigsaw to cut out 11 pentagon-shaped pieces.
Step 4. Drill Wood Pentagons Clamp a pentagon on top of scrap wood to prevent tear out at back. Drill all outer edge holes with a 5/64” drill bit. Drill center hole and inside ring with 7/64” drill bit. Drill all other holes with 3/32” drill bit. Repeat for remaining 10 pentagons.
Step 5. Sand Wood Pentagons Sand edges and drilled holes. This is an important step since any roughness, especially along the edges of the holes, will snag the thread during stitching. A round tapered file is critical for this step.
Step 6. Finish Pentagons Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for applying the wax. I used Watco Satin Wax for Finishing in Natural. Apply a generous coating to the front and edges of the pentagons. Let it soak in for about 15 minutes and reapply to any areas that dry out. Then wipe off the excess with lint-free rags. Buff and let dry.
Step 7. Embroider Stars As noted in the Supplies Needed section above, there are a number of options for the star embellishments. You may wish to try stitching a few different configurations after your wooden pentagons are dried.
Step 8. Assemble Ring of Pentagons Start by connecting a row of 5 pentagons.
Step 8b. Thread the needle with a 20” length of pearl cotton thread. This step is sewn with a single thread. Hold the 2 pentagons at an angle. Bring the needle up from the back through the first hole in the first pentagon. Pull the thread out through to the front leaving about a 1 ½-2 ½“ tail at the back.
Step 8c. Push the needle down, from the front, through the matching first hole in the second pentagon. Pull the thread out through to the back. Pull the needle back through the first hole, from the back to the front, in the first pentagon. Push the needle down, from the front to the back, in the first hole of the second pentagon. This will result in 2 visible stitches on the front face (as shown below). Holding the 2 pentagons at an angle, pull the thread snuggly.
Step 8d. Follow the process described in Step 8c in the remaining 4 holes. The front should look like this.
Step 8e. At the end, pull the thread to the back and tie the thread ends in a double knot. The back should look like this.
Step 8f. Continue to connect pentagons in this same way until a row of 5 is completed.
Step 8g. Pull the first and last pentagon of the row together to form a ring. If it’s too difficult to form a ring, one or more of the connections may be too tight. Adjust accordingly. Align the edges of the first and last pentagon. Connect in the same way as above in Steps 8b-8e.
Step 9. Finish Bottom Edge The bottom edge is finished with a blanket stitch. Thread the needle with a 60” length of pearl cotton. This step is sewn with a single thread. Select a hole to the right of a connection as the starting point. Begin at back leaving a 3” tail. Pull tail up to top edge and tack down with painter’s tape.
Step 9b. Continue around the entire bottom edge in the same way. Bring the needle through the hole from the back to the front. Wrap the thread neatly around the bottom edge. Bring the needle through the same hole from the back to the front again. Wrap the second line of thread neatly around the bottom edge beside the first line. Keeping the needle at the back, pass it under the previous horizontal stitch (stitching from left to right) and into the back of the next hole. Do not be concerned if the thread “cuts the corner” at the connections since this will not be visible.
Step 10. Assemble Sphere Build up the sphere by connecting the remaining pentagons one at a time. The top will be the most visible so you may want to set aside your best pentagon for this position. The top will be added last. Work around the sphere building a second ring. Use the process described in Steps 8b-8e, to connect the pentagons. Stitch all connecting sides of a pentagon before attaching another one.
Step 11. Connect Top Place the final pentagon on the top of the sphere aligning all edges. Thread the needle with an 84” length of pearl cotton thread. This step is sewn with a single thread. Select a hole to the right of a connection as the starting point. Begin at the back leaving a 4-6” tail. Pull the thread tail down to the bottom edge and tack it down with painter’s tape. Stitch around all 5 sides of the pentagon before tying off. Follow a process similar to that described in Steps 8b-8e. It is a little tricky to sew this last section since you have to insert your hand inside the sphere. Take your time. Pull out and smooth the full length of the thread as you stitch to prevent knotting. Don’t worry about tightening the knotted tails—a loose knot is fine.
Step 12. Insert Lights (Optional) If desired, slip a set of battery-operated LED lights inside the sphere.
