Ideas for Making Your Own Throw Pillows
- One of the best ways to make throw pillows is to use ready-made pillow inserts. These come in sizes from about 10 x 10 inches up to 22 x 22 inches. (A pillow bigger than that is probably better used as a floor cushion.) Available as squares, rectangles, rounds and sometimes even triangles and other unusual shapes, inserts are usually made of foam or polyester filling, though you can also buy feather- and down-filled inserts. And don't forget round bolster shapes, which are very useful for easing sore backs and necks and add a surprise to your decor.
- You can make good throw pillows and barely pick up a needle and thread. For example, get a piece of fabric three times the width and three times the height of the pillow insert. Fold over one end and one side of the fabric 1 inch to the wrong side (the side you won't see when the pillow is finished) and press. Wrap the fabric around the insert, arranging the fabric so that the folded edges are what you see when the insert is completely enclosed. Tie the "package" with grosgrain ribbon the same way you would add ribbon to a wrapped gift. Finish with a nice bow. For a round bolster, you can use the same procedure, bunching up the fabric at the ends and tying it with ribbon.
- An easy-sew pillow cover takes just a few minutes and very few tools. Cut two pieces of fabric, each 1 1/4 inches wider and longer than the insert. Put the two pieces of fabric together with right sides (the sides you will see when the pillow cover is finished), and pin with straight pins. Sew around the edges, placing the seam 5/8 inch in from the edge of the fabric. Leave a gap in the fourth side big enough to put in the insert. Turn the pillow cover right side out, insert the pillow form and sew the gap closed by hand.
- If you have had some sewing experience, you could put a zipper in one side of the pillow cover to make it removable. Create a patchwork pillow cover by piecing fabric together in the same way you would for a quilt. Add piping or welting to give the pillow a really professional look. Sew ready-made fringe to the seams of the pillow cover as you are making it. Applique or embroider the pillow cover.