The Easiest Way To Make A Pillow Cover

I'm a huge decor junkie.

Actually, I'm not even sure if huge is a big enough word to describe it.

I absolutely adore decorating and then redecorating my home.

Over and over again.

And I do it on quite a regular basis.


Now, before you start thinking that I'm constantly repainting, knocking down walls and chasing trends, I need to clarify.

I get my fix by swapping out accents.

Making small, inexpensive changes to refresh a room....and my view.

And the easiest - and most economical- way to scratch that constant itch, is with fabric.

Yup. A new curtain, shower curtain or DIY pillow can create a whole new look in an instant...and do wonders for my psyche and the same time.

In fact a few months ago, I announced my very ambitious plan to make new pillows for the family room and living room. Ambitious because my bright idea was to use a zipper and some trim in my design.


Well, that never happened. Nope. 

After 10 different YouTube videos and several interactions with ChatGPT I still couldn't wrap my head around the process and gave up.

Instead, I opted for a envelope cover, constructed by sewing together 3 panels, leaving the back open for the pillow to slip right in.

And I couldn't be happier.

How To Make An Envelope Pillow Cover

First of all, I need to reiterate something I've said over and over again since I posted my first sewing tutorial back in 2013. 

I am not a seamstress.


Everything I know has been self taught based on some rudimentary skills I acquired in 8th grade home ec, two very talented grandmothers and one very special aunt.

I get the job done and it looks great, but if you're looking for the "right way", this probably isn't it.

However, that should be great news for you, because honestly, if I can do this...anyone can!! 

Ok...here goes.

1. Determine Your Pillow Size

I started by choosing a pillow form. Obviously, I needed to know what size my cover would need to be and to figure that out, I needed a pillow.


I was going to make 16" square accent pillows.

So for that I needed 18"x18" pillows. I don't believe in decorating rules, but it's pretty standard to get a pillow 2" larger than your cover for a fluffy look.

Here's how to fix your pillows if they get flat.

2. Decide On A Design

I made several pillows. One of them was constructed using a single fabric. Meaning the front and back were the same. In my case a white matelasse.

The other was made with two seperate patterns. The front was a bold floral and the back was a tiny check.


Having a design plan helped my buy the proper yardage. Fabric is expensive and whether you end up with too much or too little, it's a pricey error.

Plus, there is another way to make an envelope pillow cover, by folding one long piece of fabric...but that method doesn't work when mixing fabrics.

3. Measure And Cut Your 3 Panels

Once you have a design in mind and you know what size your pillow cover needs to be, measure your 3 fabric panels and cut them out.


Panel one is the front of your cover. For my 16" pillow, I cut out a 17" square. That left me enough fabric to leave a 1/2" seam all the way around.

Panels two and three will also depend on your pillow size. You need two rectangular pieces, one larger than the other, so they create one back panel, that overlap each other.

That creates the opening for the pillow form to slip inside.

Now, you can make them a little bit smaller, but since I was using a pillow form that was 2" larger than my cover, the pillow was going to be very fat. Therefore, I wanted a lot of overlap in the back, to cover the bulging cover.

So my two panels on the back were cut to 17" x 10" and 17" x 12". 

4. Finish The Back Panel Edges

Ok, so in order to have nice finished edges on those back panels, I needed to hem one side. 


I folded one of the 17" sides back about 1/2", ironed it and ran it through my sewing machine.

Then I repeated the process on the other panel.

5. Sew The Panels Together

Once the edges were nicely finished, I lined up my two back panels, overlapping one another so they formed a 17" square.

Then I laid them - face down- on top of the front cover - which was face up - and clipped them together along the outside edges.


Then I sewed all the way around the perimeter of the square about 1/2" in from the edge.

6. Flip And Stuff

When the cover was complete, I turned it right side out and stuffed the pillow form inside.


I also made sure to pop the corners out fully. 

For that I use either a capped pen or the plastic end of my seam ripper.

When closed up, the pillows looked finished and professional from the back.


And even better from the front.


I'm so pleased with my new custom DIY pillows now.

Plus, I'm thrilled by how easy they were to make.

They honestly took me no time at all once I got into the groove.


Of course, the only issue is that those new pillows did prompt some mini makeovers in both the living room and family room.

Funny how even one small change can inspire a bigger one.

But that's ok.

It's just in time to usher in a new season.

And I was getting bored anyway,

😉

Have you ever made an envelope pillow cover?

Here are some more pretty pillow posts!

• Stenciled Chicken Pillows
• Easy Tea Towel Pillow
• Decorating With Pillows

Happy Stitching, Friends!