Easy Pillow Cover Tutorial

I feel like this winter is dragging on foreeeeeeever…. And I really needed a spring pick-me-up. Living in Virginia has made me so spoiled- I survived Montana winters most of my life. Now I’m dying for buds to start popping out of the trees and ground! So in the meantime, I made some beautiful, colorful pillows for my family room. Adding some green also makes me feel festive for St. Patrick’s Day coming up.

One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to add new color to any space is with pillows. And if you know how to make them yourself, you can save even more. My favorite thing about these pillow covers is that they are easily removable. You can even put them on pillows you already have, whip them off and have a different look again. Plus there are no zippers or buttons to fool with.

Don’t be afraid to have a lot of fun mixing bright colors, bold patterns and texture!

First step: measure your pillow.

If your pillow is especially full, add 1” to the dimensions. If not, cut your rectangle or square the same size. (I like full pillows myself…) For example if you have a full 20×20 inch pillow, cut your square 21×21 in, or keep it the same to create a fuller pillow. This will be the front.

Next you will need two rectangles for the back.

Divide the height of your pillow (or longer edge) by 2, then add 5 inches. Your pillow width will remain the same.

So for our full 20×20 pillow: 20 / 2 = 10. 10 + 5 = 15. We will need two rectangles that are 15×20.

Now you know how much fabric you will need. Usually 1-2 yards is enough for one pillow, but measure first just to be sure!

Now you can cut out your fabric:

Be aware of centering the pattern, if you wish to, when you’re cutting.

Next, get your iron out (I know, I never iron anything, but this is worth it…) and press (using lots of steam, unless it’s silk) 1/2” along the long edge of one of your pillow back’s rectangles toward the wrong side of the fabric. Now fold it down again and press again. You now have a nice 1/2” hem. Pin into place. Repeat on your second rectangle.

(Please don’t look too closely at my wrinkled fabric, ha!)

It’s sewing time! Sew 3/8” along your pressed hem on the right side of the fabric.

Now that you have both hems sewn, lay out your pillow front with the right side of the fabric facing you.

Lay one of your rectangles on top of the fabric, right side facing down, with your sewn hem toward the center and lining up all your edges.

Now lay your other rectangle on top of that, with the hem also going toward the center.

Pin your fabric sandwich all around the edges.

Next sew 1/2” from the edge all the way around your cover.

(I used my brand new serger to sew all my edges… they turned out so gorgeous and clean! Can’t get over it. Love.)

Aaaaaaaand (this part is so exciting) flip your brand new cover right side out!

Be sure to push out those corners well.

Stuff that pillow inside and see the beauty you’ve created.

As you can see I needed a few. I made another after this set and I’m thinking I even need one more… There’s a green velvet upstairs in my craft room calling to me that it needs to be a pillow…

These are just so easy and fast to whip up.
Here’s a back view:

Beautifully finished. With no button holes or zippers or any of that worry.

I hope you can add new color and style to your space with these pillow covers! Enjoy!