How to make a Pillow

I have been meaning to write a post on how to make a pillow for a long time but I have never gotten round to it. A pillow is a necessary thing to have and it is great if you can make your own. Try making pillows with a friend's name on it or embroider a picture to experiment.

Difficulty Rating: Easy
Time: A few hours                            

What you need:

- Sewing tool box
- Iron
- Fabric of your choice
                                            
- Matching thread
- Pillow fill or stuffing
- Velcro strips [ optional ]

Sizes:

These are sizes I recommend, however feel free to make your pillow whatever size you wish.

37cms by 50cms   Small
45cms by 65cms  Medium
55cms by 80cms  Large

How to make a Pillow

1. Iron your fabric according to material instructions. If unsure, put the iron settings to warm.
2. At the top of your fabric, on the wrong side, fold down a centimeter. Pin in place. You may want to fold it again for a neater look.
3. Sew a neat stitch of your choice across the fabric on the fold. Chain stitch looks really good. Make sure the wrong side of the stitching is on the wrong side of the fabric.
4. Flip your pillow to the right side. If you are on the right side already, skip this step.
5. Bring the bottom of the pillow forward and stop a few centimeters below your sewn fold. This will be the size of your pillow.
6. Pin the 2 edges on the side of the pillow in place and sew with a neat back stitch. Leave a centimeter at the top.
7. Fold down the top and pin in place. Sew a neat stitch of your choice with the right side of your stitch shown on the right side of the pillow.
8. Turn the pillow inside out.
9. On the two edges between the flap and the seams of the pillow, you may need to do a whip stitch there to prevent fraying. Instructions on how to do a whip stitch are available at the 'Stitches' page.
10. Stuff your pillow through the opening.
11. Turn your flap to the back of the pillow.
12. Finished!

To embroider or attach a sewn image or word:

Embroider your image or word just before you stuff your pillow. Use a blanket stitch to attach it to the front of the pillow, making sure your stitches go through both fabrics. To embroider, use your stitch of choice with embroidery floss/thread onto the front of the pillow.

To attach Velcro strips:

Adding Velcro strips or some other type of thing will make your pillow more secure. Velcro strips are good because they are easy to sew on. Attach them with a whip stitch to the fold at step 7. Above that on the wrong side of the flap also attach them. Make sure they are in line with the bottom ones.

  Photos are in order according to steps.

Step 2

Step 2

Step 3

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5-6

Step 7

Step 10, 11 and 12