Lately all I have been daydreaming about are indigo fabrics and throw pillows.
One lucky day I scored a bunch of nice down feather throw pillows at a yard sale, woo hoo!
I am not in love with the covers. However, I love the idea of making some new pillow covers because they are easy to wash and fun to switch out for the seasons.
Even for someone like me who has very little sewing skills, these envelope throw pillows are the easiest things to make. From cutting the fabrics to sewing takes less than 10 minutes!
Here is the added fun: we are using re-purposed fabrics- cotton bed sheets and canvas drop cloth…
Last week, I shared how I decided to make my own indigo fabrics from some cotton bed sheets we have! Here is the tutorial if you want to check it out.
I want the back of the pillows to have a linen look. Since it is so much fun to re-purpose fabrics, here comes one of the best-kept secrets: canvas drop cloth- as home décor fabric!
Canvas drop cloth is a beautiful and inexpensive material. The key is to find ones with the right thickness.
For these throw pillows, I used this 8 oz canvas drop cloth, which is soft and easy to work with, yet thick enough to resemble high-quality linen.
Before you start, preshrink the fabrics by washing them in hot water, let dry, and iron them flat.
Step 1: Cut fabrics.
Measure your pillows. Amazon has many pillow insertsto choose from if you don’t have lucky yard sale pillows.
Here is a simple formula to calculate how much fabric to cut (generous enough for beginners!):
For square pillows:
- cut one piece that is your length+2 inches and height +2 inches
- cut two pieces that are your length divided by 2 then add 3 inches, and height +2 inches
For long pillows:
- cut one piece that is your shorter length+2 inches and height +2 inches
- cut two pieces that are your longer length divided by 2 then add 3 inches, and height +2 inches
For example, if your pillow measures 18”x22”, the front piece will be 20”x24”, the two back pieces will be 20”x15”. If your pillow measures 18”x18”, the front piece will be 20”x20”, the two back pieces will be 20”x13”. This ensures an overlap of about 5 inches at the opening of the envelope.
Tip: if you are nervous, use some scrap fabrics to do a quick test before cutting up your favorite fabric! Pillow covers are really forgiving, so even if you are not super accurate, they most likely will still turn out fine!
Step 2: Sewing.
First, hem the two back panels where they overlap.
Take the front panel and lay it flat right side up. Then, take one of the two back panels and place it wrong side up, line up at the edge of the front panel and pin in place. Repeat with the second back panel.
Sew all around the edge, back-stitching at the beginning and end.
I find it a little easier to sew the two sides marked with orange lines, then the overlapped sides. I was able to do it this way without pinning. =)
Now flip the cover right side out and stuff a pillow in it! I left the existing cover on for an extra layer, although it is not required.
Here are our first group of indigo throw pillows! Are they lovely?
Other simple yet effective updates for our homes if you want to see more: transform boring outlet covers into designer ones in just a few minutes!
How to paint chevron patterns on a old lamp shade-
Happy creating!
I will be on a trip across the country next week. See you in 2 weeks! xo
I loved your indigo tutorial and the finished pillows look fantastic!
I’m obsessed with indigo wash! Love these pillows.
I love the idea of pillow covers to switch out for the seasons. You make it look so fast and easy that I’m going to try to make a few. Thank you Ananda!
What a fun and crafty idea! Thanks!
The envelope pillow is my favorite thing to make. One pillow so many changes. Love your dyed blue material. I commented on your wonderful dying technique in another post.
Your pillows turned out great! I love the color!
This is such a great idea to change up your space. Pillows are so expensive so this is a perfect solution.
Really cute idea! Love how these turned out.
Cute! I still think I’d find a way to mess it up but I’m pinning because your instructions are great!
these pillows are gorgeous!
Thanks for this! I have about 20 pillows I need to recover.
Your pillow covers look smashing Ananda. Indigo is such a stunning colour. And your steo by step tutorial makes it look so easy. Thank you:)
You make it look so easy! I have saved so many patterns for throw pillows over the years, but I always chicken out.
You make it look so easy, Ananda!! Plus, I am drooling over those indigo prints!! Gorgeousness!! xoxo
I absolutely love indigo. Will be making these next week!
I only found you today. I just love all of the posts. Where do you get all these great ideas ? I have been thinking to get off my crafts and on to doing the yard, house, etc…… Now since I have seen all of these I will never be able to get anything else done. I am going to try them all. Kudos !
thank you Pattitrisha! house work can wait, have fun crafting! =)
Enjoying your pillow tutorial. Need your advice on how to ‘sanitize’ pillows I find at yard sales & thrift stores; since there’s the chance of bed bug infestation, etal. Yuck!
Thanks…and I appreciate your spectacular content.
hi evie! thanks! =)
to start, i would only buy pillows that look and smell very clean, be selective!! net, wash the covers, let everything air out in the sun for a few days. sunlight kills germs and works almost like natural bleach!