Extremely Easy Pillow (Free Sewing Pattern)

Posted by CraftFoxes Staff on Sep 11, 2017

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Here’s a wonderfully simple way to make a pillow. With no zipper, ties, or buttons, it’s basically just a front and two back pieces that overlap at the back to make an envelope. With only four straight seams, a pillow cover can be made in under an hour. If you are a complete beginner, this project, made in Butterfly Dance in Brick, is ideal for you, so try making a few in different fabrics to perfect the technique.

YOU WILL NEED
Decorator fabric—see below for
yardage
Matching sewing thread
Pillow form
Snaps (optional)

Estimating yardage

Measure the pillow form. For the front piece, allow 5⁄8in (1.5cm) all
around for seams. For the two back pieces, allow for each to be the
same depth as the front piece, and a width equal to half the width of
the pillow form plus 5in (13cm).

TIP
If you like your pillows to be very plump, with very taut covers, simply cut the pieces slightly smaller.

Excerpted with permission from A Beginner's Guide to Making Curtains, Shades, Pillows, Cushions, and More: 50 step-by-step projects, plus practical advice on hanging curtains, choosing fabric, and measuring up.

Step 1

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Cut one front piece and two back pieces from the fabric. Press a double 1in (2.5cm) hem to the wrong side along one long edge of each back piece. Pin and machine-stitch both hems in place, stitching close to the first pressed edge on each.

Step 2

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Lay the front piece right side up on a flat surface, then place the back covers on top, right sides down, with raw edges even and the hemmed edges overlapping at the center. Pin, then baste the pieces together around all four sides. Machine-stitch a 5⁄8in (1.5cm) seam around all four sides.

Step 3

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Remove the basting. Trim the seam allowances to 3/8 in (1cm), and snip off the corners of the seam allowances. Turn the pillow cover right side out. Carefully push out the corners using a sharp pair of scissors, and press the seamed edges flat. Insert the pillow form through the back opening, and smooth the back overlaps flat.

Step 4

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If your pillow form is large, you may wish to sew snaps to the underside of the overlap and the right side of the underlap. This will stop the opening from gaping and keep the front nice and taut.