How To Make a Pillow Cover

Hi there! Okay, I wasn't sure that I was going to get this post up today--I woke up yesterday and was really sick! Turns out I most likely have the flu!  Boo!! I have never had the flu, and I can now say that I would not wish this on anyone! It is terrible! I will definitely be getting a flu shot next year.  :) 

So, now that I had my little pity party! :)  I am going to show you how to turn your heart block into a pillow cover.  

To make the heart block you will find the tutorial here. 

Now that you have made your heart block, you will want to add borders all the way around to make it the size you need for your pillow.  You will add your top and bottom borders on first, and then you will add the side borders. To attach borders, you will place the block and strip of fabric right sides together and sew a 1/4" seam and then press.  Depending on how large your pillow form is, will determine how big to make your borders.   I explain how to figure out your measurements that you need for your pillow below. 

You will start with three pieces of fabric to make this type of pillow cover:  

To figure out exactly what size to make your pieces.  It will take a little bit of math to figure it out, but don't worry, it's not too difficult to figure out! 

Front Piece (this is your heart block)--You will take the size of your pillow form and add 1" all the way around.  So for example if your pillow form is 12" square you are going to want to make your front piece 13" square.  

So, for your heart block--it measures 8 1/2" square so we need to add a big enough border to make the entire block measure 13" square.  So, I ended up doing 3" wide strips.  When I measured mine, I made my borders slightly bigger than necessary, so that once I had them sewn on and my block pressed, I could trim it down to measure exactly 13" square.  Your measurements will be different depending on which size of pillow you use. 

To figure out your back pieces you will do the following:  take your front measurement and add 6 to it and then divide by two.

So: 13(front piece) + 6 = 19, Now divide 19 by 2 = 9.5

You will then make 1 back piece 1" larger than the other

Back Piece 1: 9.5 x 13

Back Piece 2: 10.5 x 13

**The pillow cover I am showing you how to make below I am not using the heart block. I just wanted to clarify this so I didn't confuse you.  However, you will follow the same exact steps if you are using your heart block. 

Now that you have your pieces cut, you will take the two back pieces and you will fold one of the long sides 1/4" and press:

Since we don't want any raw edges, you will make another fold 1/4" and press again:

You will do this to both of your back pieces.  

Now, you will sew down the edge of each back piece-where you pressed your hem.  I like to sew two sewing lines so it gives it a more finished look:

You are now going to take your front piece and place it right side up:

Now place one of your back pieces right side down.  Line up the top edge of your back piece with the top edge of your front piece:

Now place your other back piece on and line it up with the bottom edge.  Pin all the way around, and then sew a 1/2" seam all the way around the perimeter. 

Once you sew all the way around, then you will trim off the corners--to prevent extra bulk:

Turn right side out and then give it a good press:

Just put your pillow inside the cover and that's it! You're done!

The great thing about making these pillows--is that they come together so quickly! I made the plain pink pillow in a half hour!

If you haven't made a pillow cover before, I would really encourage you to try it out! They are so easy and simple to make! Once you make one, you won't be able to stop!

Talk to you soon,