Design Your Own Pillow

Design your own pillow to customize your bed or living room. If you are looking for the finishing touch of a throw or bed pillow, find a fabric that you love, decide on a size and shape and do the dirty work yourself. A handmade pillow is sure to make your room unique and personalized and give your home the exact feel that you desire.

Fabric

First, choose your pillow's fabric. The color and pattern are personal choices, but there are some things to consider when choosing a fabric for its texture. Depending on what material you choose for your pillow, it will feel hard or soft, rough or smooth. Some are more conducive to either indoor or outdoor living.

For a pillow that will go into a bedroom, choose softer, more luxurious materials. Bedroom pillows don't need to be stiff unless they're decorative, so something luxurious like cotton or silk may be the best option. For a living room pillow, choose a sturdier but still comfortable material, like linen or velvet. Outdoor pillows should be stiff and weather-resistant. Choose a pretty canvas or burlap fabric.

To find a fabric in a pattern that you like, visit a fabric supply store. Most of them provide small square samples of their fabrics that you can take home to consider. 

Size and Shape

Bed pillows come in different sizes according to the size of your bed: standard, queen and king.

• Standard Pillowcases - 20x26 inches
• Queen Pillowcases - 20x30 inches
• King Pillowcases - 20x40 inches.

Throw pillows for indoor or outdoor spaces are typically square in shape, anywhere from 14x14 to 18x18 inches. Consider making a large cushion-like pillow quite a bit larger—24x24 or 26x26 inches.

Measurements will be different if you plan on a different shape. Throw pillows are also sometimes round, cylindrical (like neck rolls and bolsters) or rectangular. Also consider body pillows and shaped pillows. You can either stitch the shape yourself and fill it, or buy a pre-made pillow to cover with the fabric of your choice. 

Finishing Touches

Don't limit yourself to 2 pieces of fabric and a bag of polyfill. Pillows these days have all of the bells and whistles, and you can get as creative as you want with your own project. Visit a craft or fabric store for things like buttons, fringe, beads and a ton of other decorative touches.

You can create a sham pillow by buying extra fabric to cover a small pillow. Stitch around the shape of the pillow and leave 2 to 3 inches of fabric around the outside edges. Use buttons to tuft a large floor cushion and give it visual interest. Stitch strings of fringe to the sides of your pillow, or attach a tassel at each corner. The possibilities are endless. 

Once you've decided on your pillow design, attach any accessories to the fabric before sewing. Stitch together your fabrics, stuff them with your own pillow or polyfill, and voila! Your pillow is a perfect match, every time.