How to Make a Decorative Pillow Cover

Recently, my cousin convinced me to help her make this bat pillow she had seen online.   When she showed up for her sewing lesson, she announced that Jo-Ann had 12×12 pillows buy one get one free, so she bought one for me.  The original tutorial called for making the pillow out of felt and polyfill, but since we had such nice half-price pillows, we decided to make slipcovers.  Now we can make a new one for each season or holiday and keep our little decorative pillows on display all year long.  Plus, it gives us an excuse to get together and craft.

To make your own decorative pillow cover you will need 1/2 yard of felt (this will be enough for two pillows, but you need that width), a pillow form, pins, and a sewing machine.

Making the pillow slipcover, was really easy.  I promise I’m not just saying that.  Just two seams up the sides.  I used felt, so if you want to use fabric, hem the short ends of your piece first.

First, cut your felt to size.  Make your piece twice as long as the pillow plus 5 inches.  On the width, add 2 inches for seam allowance.  My pillow was 12×12 inches, so I cut my felt 14 x 29 inches.

Fold the top 5 inches down and the bottom 12 inches (or however tall your pillow is) up.  This will show you where the front of your pillow will be – in between the two folds.  Add any decorations you like, such as letters, flowers, or bats to the front.  To make the bats, we just used a piece of clipart as a pattern.  We were able to cut out two at a time.  You could do that with most any shape. You could spell your child’s name, or add a big felt football to your pillow. 

Now, fold the flap of the pillow (5 inches) down over the front.  Fold the back (12 inches) up over the front, overlapping the top.  Make sure the 5 inch piece is underneath the back piece.  Pin any decorations (such as bat wings) out of the way, and sew up the side seams.  I recommend sewing from bottom to top.

Turn your pillowcase right side out.  Stuff in your pillow and fold the flap over to the back.  Ta da!I can’t wait to make another seasonal one.  Will snowflakes too hard to cut out?