When I shop I occasionally find myself thinking “I could make that”. Making things isn’t about saving money because it almost always costs more to make than to buy. Making is about putting my own spin on something I see.
I saw pillows like these but the colours were slightly different and wouldn’t work where I wanted to use them so I made some.
On the second day of Christmas my true love made for me…A Santa pillow. I saw one of these in a store and it was more than $50.00, which is a little out of my snack bracket for a Christmas pillow. Knowing that I had 2 red cushion covers and inserts at home I figured that I could whip some up for a fraction of the cost. I am adding the stores where I got the supplies not because they are sponsoring this post but because if you want to make these it is advantageous to know where to get supplies.
I am outraged at the price of fabric these days. I don’t know if it’s worse here because I live on an island where most things are more expensive, or if fabric is expensive everywhere. Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy sheets, curtains or clothes for their fabric content, sounds ridiculous but it’s so true. These pillow covers were made from a fabric shower curtain which was on sale for $0.97, got to love IKEA. The other benefit of sewing pillow covers from shower curtains is that they come with button holes. I have no idea how to sew button holes with a sewing machine, but it seems complicated. This fabric had a letter pattern on it which I thought would be great for the play room, and with easily removable machine washable covers at less than $0.48 each how could I go wrong?
To make these pillows I laid out the shower curtain, and placed the pillow forms on top, centering the button holes so that I had an even number per pillow, and wasn’t cutting through the middle of one. I cut the shower curtain on either side of the pillowform leaving enough width for the seams on the side. I wrapped the fabric around the pillow over lapping the short ends by a couple of inches and cut it, this is where the buttons will be sewn on, leave enough length to hem the short end. You should now have a long rectangle piece of fabric with button holes at one end. The fabric should be a little wider than the pillowform and about 2.5 times longer than the pillowform. Hem the short edge. Lay out the rectangle right side up, fold the button-hole end towards the center (right sides together), fold the other end over the button-hole end (you shouldn’t be able to see the button holes, measure the folds to fit the pillowform. Sew up the 2 sides. Turn inside out and check the fit, the button holes should be on the outside flap. Sew on the buttons to line up with the button holes, and stuff with the pillowform. Using a shower curtain to make a removable pillow cover is so much easier than sewing in a zipper and just as easy as making an envelope style cover.
Making A Life 