DIY Throw Pillows with Nate Berkus Fabric

Ask anyone and they will tell you I'm a little throw pillow crazy.  I firmly believe throw pillows are necessary in every room with couches, armchairs, and/or beds in order to complete the room.  One of my favorite places to buy throw pillows is Target because they are reasonably priced and hello THRESHOLD.  Need I say more??  I seem to tire of my throw pillows fairly often, but it can be expensive to buy new ones all the time.  The moment I saw Nate Berkus's fabric line at JoAnn Craft I knew it was meant to be.  I made one throw pillow in the Linea fabric about a year ago for my couch and loved it.  Recently I decided to sew two more for my accent chairs in the Rivington fabric.

 Sometimes sewing new throw pillows can cost more than just buying them, so make sure to utilize coupon discounts, etc.  I purchased this 18X18 inch pillow form at Hobby Lobby.  Full price is $9.99, which is pretty cheap compared to other craft stores I've checked.  But of course I used the online Hobby Lobby coupon for 40% off- making it REALLY CHEAP.  The Nate Berkus fabric was already on sale for 40% off at JoAnn's.

Supplies Needed:

1. pillow form

2. fabric

3. thread

4. Sewing machine

5. cutting mat and rotary roller OR dress maker scissors (the cutting mat and roller just the make the job easier)

6. iron for pressing fabric

How To:

I sew all of my throw pillows using a simple envelope design that my mom taught me from way back.  It's easy and I love how I can remove the cover and re-use the pillow form if I get tired of the print.  First, lie the pillow form on the fabric to measure.  I honestly just eye it and then cut with my rotary roller.  I don't measure anything exactly when I sew pillow covers

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 I've learned over the years of sewing pillow covers that the fabric needed for the pillow is always less than you would think.  You want the pillow to be snug inside the cover.  Cut the front piece of the pillow cover close to the size of the pillow.  But when cutting the back, make sure to get the width the same, but the length about 1 1/2 longer in order for the pillow to completely hide inside the envelope cover when inserted.  The last thing you want is a big gap on the back exposing the pillow form!

Next, double fold the inner seams of the envelope part and press into place.  I folded in about half an inch.  Then sew a topstitch across this edge.  

Once the topstich is finished, place all pieces together and pin.  Then sew around the entire perimeter of the pillow cover.  I align the fabric at the edge of the presser foot. 

Then turn right side out and place pillow form in the cover.  SO EASY.  I love the way these pillows turned out!