If the thought of updating your home decor has you envisioning money floating out the window you might be able to realize your goal with minimal expense. The right decorative accents can have an amazing effect on a room. A simple way of adding some interest to your decor without spending too much is to add throw pillows or re-upholster the ones you already have. Therefore, we are including a how-to on upholstering throw pillows for an easy solution to the home decor doldrums.
As with any project the details are key, so here are some essential tools you will need to make upholstered throw pillows.
- 1 1/4 yards of 45″ wide fabric or 1 yard of 54″ fabric.
- 2 1/2 yards of trim.
- A drinking glass and a pencil.
- A sewing machine.
- An iron.
- Pins.
- Scissors or a rotary cutter.
- Thread.
To begin with cut the fabric into three pieces. One 21″ by 21″ square will suffice for the front while the two rear pieces should be cut into 13″ x 21″ rectangles. These measurements are adequate for a 20″ square pillow.
Use the drinking glass on each corner of the fabric to trace out rounded edges. You will want to mark and cut all four corners of the square while marking and cutting only two corners of one long edge of each of the rectangular pieces. On the rectangular pieces you will want to end up with one long edge completely straight with the rounded corners on the opposite edge.
Then sew the raw edges using a zig-zag or overlong stitch. Leave the straight edges on the rectangular pieces unfinished.
On the unfinished edges of the rectangular pieces fold about 1/4″ to 3/8″ over twice and stitch with a straight stitch.
Back to the square piece of fabric, on the right side start at the bottom and begin to pin your trim. Make sure the trim is toward the inside of the pillow while the sewing band is toward the outside. Pin frequently so as to not stretch the trim. Coordinate the dges carefully so that the trim appears continuous.
Now it is time to pin the entire pillow together. First, place one of the rectangular pieces face down with the rounded corners toward the outside. Pin the two pieces together without stretching the trim starting from the corners.
Next, place the other rectangle on the square piece and pin it following the steps from the previous parragraph; it will overlap with the first rectangular piece. Remove any pins under the overlapping fabric as this could cause problems when sewing.
Now you are ready to sew around the fabric, making sure sure to remove any pins before sewing. Once you are done sewing the fabric simply turn it inside out and stuff the pillow in. You now have you very own throw pillow cover!
You will find ideal fabrics for making your pillow cover in our Decorative Fabric section.
A pillow made with our Darkwood Decorative Fabric!
