Quickly Change a Room with Pillows

You know those little things that bug you but still take years for you to get around to doing something about it?  Ah, yes, this was the story of our couch throw pillows.  I love our red couch set but have always hated the mod style pillows that came with it.  They just weren't us.  But they were free (well, for the low price of a couch set) and replacing throw pillows isn't cheap.  So they stayed that way for over two years.  That is until now. 

New house and I had finally had enough of the old pillows.  But instead of replacing them outright, I decided to re-cover them, a decision I'm now glad I made.  The cost of fabric to cover all four pillows came out to about what a single new pillow would have cost me.  I ordered my fabric from Buy Fabrics, http://www.buyfabrics.com/, a discount sight that specializes in upholstery and drapery fabrics.  $6/yard is a steal for upholstery fabric.  So hurray for bargain DIY!

Truthfully, I was hesitant to start on the project.  The material had me totally intimidated.  I had never worked with upholstery before and even though I had everything I needed, it took me weeks to start.  Two weeks, it just lay there, as it had when it first arrived in the mail.  I got around to cutting the fabric and it stayed like that in the craft closet for another week.  Finally, I had an early start to a morning, company coming soon, and the nerve to get the project finished.  Irony is that once I started actually sewing, I was done in under 2 hours.  And that includes slip stitching all four pillows, while stopping frequently to referee two small boys.  The pillows look great and it was so easy that I started looking around the house for where else I could add more throw pillows. 

So here's some very basic instructions for sewing throw pillows.  You'll be amazed at how pillows can completely change the look and feel of a room.  The directions I give are for a cover that is not removable.  If that is something you wish, it is a little more complicated to add a zipper seam or an envelope closure but still in the beginners realm.  But if like me, your fabric is dry clean only, I recommend this method.  You'll need to clean the whole pillow anyway, so why not take the easy route?

How to Sew Throw Pillows:

Supplies:
Pillow insert or throw pillow to be covered
Two pieces of fabric, cut to 1-3" larger than pillow, based on desired "fullness", 
       the smaller the extra allowance, the fuller the pillow will look
Heavy weight thread in matching color
Heavy duty sewing needle

1. Place fabric squares, right sides facing each other, and pin along edge.  Sew along three sides, about 1/4" from edge, or using the footer as your guide.

2.  Turn inside out.  Insert pillow gently, tugging into all corners. 

3.  Slip stitch open seam.