Today, I’ll show you the super-easy pillow covers I made!
This isn’t a full step-by-step tutorial, but if you’re familiar with the basics of sewing, I think you’ll get the idea!
I wanted pillow covers that were removable, but I didn’t want to put in a zipper or do buttonholes. So, I went for a super-easy ‘flap’ technique. The back is composed of overlapping flaps that allow you to take the pillow in and out, but still cover the pillow:
The Basic Steps
I ordered my fabric from Spoonflower, a great place to get fabric from indie designers. I went with a Tour de France fabric in yellow & grey (a sport I love and colors that match our sofa!) and a coordinating ‘houses’ fabric from the same designer.
Next, I cut out the fabric.
The important thing is that you want to cut the back pieces to be bigger than just 1/2 of the height of your pillow… or else you won’t get any overlap.
Then, I sewed the pairs of flaps together:
Turning these inside out (to the right sides) gives you the nice, sewn edge at the opening of the flap.
Finally, I sew the front onto the (overlapping) flaps, lining up all of the raw edges:
Presto! Pillows!
As you can tell, they’ve already been well-loved (that is, squished) by me and hubby!
Definitely easy-peasy!! Love your fabric choice, too. Is it cotton or a blend? Nice job, Stacey. 🙂
Hey Nancy-
It’s a cotton/linen blend (I think!)… the fabric from spoonflower that’s made in a thickness for home decor
You make the best, most helpful tutorials. Thank you!
Why didn’t you just cut flaps on the fold edge? Would save time stitching together, trim, open, and ironing flat. Just a thought
How does the pillow stay open to take on and off if you are stitching both smaller pieces together? I am baffled.
You’re cutting four smaller pieces total. You sew two together along one edge, then flip them right side out to get a nice finish without hemming. Repeat for the other flap. Then you overlap the two two-sided flaps you just made and sew them to the pillow front (not to each other) to make an envelope opening on the back.