Throw PIllow

From Make It and Love It

I know, enough with the pillow tutorials right?

I can’t help it though.

They really are a fun and simple touch. And I have loved experimenting with all types. So hang in there…..I’m almost done purging all of these pillow ideas. Almost.

But I decided to do our bedroom light, fresh, and kinda funky. I fell in love with this Amy Butler cotton fabric and decided to use it in our bedroom. I also found this quilted white bedspread at TJMaxx……and fell in love with the idea of having a clean and fresh look to the bed. White seems to brighten my mood. And it was perfectly thin. (We both hate being hot while sleeping.) And then I could splash some color in there, depending on mood and/or season.
Perfect.

(And I’ll teach you a simple way to make your own pillow cases to match your bedding. Especially if you’re like us and hate pillow shams. But we’ll cover that another day.)

But here’s how I made this Pillow with ties.

I first cut strips of cotton that were 2 different lengths. This is because I tied my knots off to one side, so one side had to be longer than the other.
The longer ties are 21 x 5 inches and the shorter ones are 15 x 5 inches. I sewed each strip in half lengthwise and then sewed along the long edge with a 1/2 seam allowance.

Then I turned the strips right side out, and then pressed them flat.
Next, I cut a back and a front pillow piece out of some coordinating cotton fabric that measured 22 x 17 inches each.

Then I pinned the strips to the edges of the front piece of the pillow. Play around with your placement until it looks just right. Mine are off centered on purpose….I just liked how it looked.

Then pin the other ends of the ties to the center of the front pillow piece temporarily, just to keep them out of the way. Then pin the pillow front and back pieces together, with right sides together. Sew all the way around the edges with a 1/2 inch seam allowance……..leaving about a 5 inch gap to insert your filling. (And make sure to catch each of your ties in your seam and remove your pins as you go.) Then clip your corners and zig-zag next to your straight stitch.

Turn right side out, poke out your corners, and then stuff with batting…

Then hand stitch the opening closed (technique’s shown here).

Smoosh your batting around and even it out, so that the pillow isn’t lumpy.

Now, tuck in the ends of your ties. You can do this before you attach your ties to the pillow but I just wasn’t certain how long I would like the ends…..so I waited until now to tuck the ends of my ties inside themselves about 1/2 of an inch.

Press. Then I sewed the opening closed.

Repeat with all 4 ends.
Then tie each set of ties in a neat little knot, off to one side….

And toss onto your bed, a chair, or your favorite reading spot.

Just another sweet little feature to add to a pillow.