- Fabric
- Zipper that is 2 or 3 inches shorter than your finished pillow width
- Fringe trim a bit longer than the four sides of your finished pillow (don't cut it yet if too long!)
- Scissors
- If you don't have a rolling cutter: Large piece of paper to make the pattern
- or instead of paper: Rolling Cutter, self healing mat and large clear sewing ruler
- Iron
- Sewing machine (you may hand sew, but don't ask me how or why)
- Pins
- Tape - a small amount for fringe ends
- Pencil and paper to write down dimensions
- Pillow insert the size of your finished pillow
- Decide what size you want your finished pillow to be and write this down. (Ex: Finished pillow 16 x 16)
- Front pattern piece: Add 1 inch to the width and 1 inch to the height for seams and write this down (Ex: Front piece 17 x 17)
- Back pattern piece: Add 1 inch to the finished width and 3 inches to the height and write this down. (Ex: Back piece 17 x 19)
- Check to make sure you have enough fabric to cut pieces this size. There is some leeway - see the tips below. Also in step 3 the larger piece is cut into 2 pieces: you could refer to this and cut your pattern in advance if you are short on length of fabric, see Step 3 tip)
- The longer (Ex:19) length is the up and down as you look at the pillow on your couch. Keep this in mind if your fabric has a pattern that this matters, like the one I chose.
- If you already have a pillow form that you want to use and not quite enough fabric, you can scrimp a little bit (an inch or so smaller) and stuff the form in still. Or you can remove a bit of stuffing from your form at the end.
- Rolling Cutter Method
- Using your rolling cutter, lay the fabric on a self healing mat and, measuring with your sewing ruler, cut out the front and back pieces in the sizes that you have written down on your piece of paper.
- You can use the selvage as one edge of your piece as long as the fabric pattern extends to the edge, or very close to it.
- Notch the bottom of both pieces taking care it is a small notch 3/8 inch or less.
- Make a paper pattern of the larger back piece. (Ex: 17 x 19 inches) Cut a small notch on the bottom (don't extend deeper than 3/8 inch so you stay within the seam allowance.)
- Pin this to your fabric measuring from the selvage to make sure it is on the straight of grain, and cut out including the notch. It is ok to use the selvage as one edge, as long as the pattern of the fabric extends to the edge, or very close.
- Fold or cut the paper pattern down to measure the smaller front piece (Ex: 17 x 17) or if you wish you can make a separate paper pattern.
- Pin and cut out your front piece.
- Put the front piece aside because this step involves only the larger back piece.
- Test your zipper to make sure it works.
- Cut five inches off the top of the back/larger piece of fabric. Remember the notch is on the bottom. This cut is where the zipper will go. (Ex: The 17 x 19 inch piece has been cut into 2 pieces. The bottom measures 17 x 14 and the top measures 17 x 5) Put a pin at the top (non zipper end) of the small piece so your remember what is top and what is zipper.
- Bring both these newly cut pieces to your iron. Lay the larger in front of you back side up and turn over 1/2 inch of the newly cut edge toward you and iron. Take the 5 inch piece and iron a 1 inch flap in the same way.
- Put a ribbon, piece of yarn or long skinny scrap of fabric through your zipper tab hole so that you can easily move it while you sew.
- Pin the folded edge of the larger piece with the 1/2 inch flap to the zipper as shown, centering the zipper accross the width. The zipper pull needs to be at least an inch and 1/2 from the edge of the fabric. Pin with the points so they weill be facing away from you as you sew and use a lot of pins.
- Sew with your zipper foot, if ou have one, on the right side of the fabric, as close to the zipper teeth as possible, as shown, removing the pins as you go. You will have to move the bumpy zipper pull out of your way as you sew close to it. Take your time.
- Remove any pins and zip the zipper up
- Now take the 5 inch piece with 1 inch sewn under. Place the fold so it just barely covers the stitches that you just made, lining up the edges of the fabric. Pin it down along that stitch .
- Flip the pieces over and sew the other side of the zipper. This time sewing at the very far edge of the zipper tape, as far from the teeth as possible while staying on the zipper. Again, you will probably have to move the zipper tab around as you sew to avoid distorting your stitch line around the bump. Your pins are underneath, but won't interfere with the sewing because they are on the first stitch line. However they may get caught on the sewing machine so be careful how you move the fabric along.
- The next picture is of the finished pillow! I put it here so you can see how the 1 inch flap goes over the zipper.
- Lay your zippered back piece face/right side up and lay your front piece wrong side up on top of it, matching bottoms/notched sides. They should be right sides together as if you were about the sew the pillow together, tho you are not.
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