aka. Shower Curtain Pillow Tutorial
Ha!
I wanted some pretty, soft gold pillows to go with my pink and gold holiday theme this year, but having a plethora of pillows already, I didn't really feel like buying (and storing!) more. Slip covers were the obvious choice!
The catch? I wanted them to be cheap and easy!
The solution? An old shower curtain and only one cut piece of fabric!
Ha!
I wanted some pretty, soft gold pillows to go with my pink and gold holiday theme this year, but having a plethora of pillows already, I didn't really feel like buying (and storing!) more. Slip covers were the obvious choice!
The catch? I wanted them to be cheap and easy!
The solution? An old shower curtain and only one cut piece of fabric!
Do you know what this is? It's my old satin shower curtain.
And this? It's my old-satin-shower-curtain-turned-fancy-pillow.
Muahahahaha...
...well, that and my hubby playing video games in the background. See him in the mirror? ;)
Here's the curtain in it's full glory, along with my trusty sidekick, pantless in typical legwarmers and diaper (although we're potty trained for good now! Yay!)
I found a couple soft pillows I wanted to cover and measured how much I'd need for a pillow case:1. An extra half inch to inch on either side to allow for a seam allowance
2. Eight inches extra in length total (1" each end for seam and 6" total for the flap opening
2. Eight inches extra in length total (1" each end for seam and 6" total for the flap opening
A quick view of how the cover will fit over the pillow form. Whatever you measure, be sure that you give yourself a generous amount of fabric for the flap opening.
The first time I made these pillows I only gave it a couple inches to fold over (seemed good enough in theory) but with a fluffy stuffed pillow shoved inside the new case, well...yeah. Those pillow cases are bursting at the seams! Poor dears.
The first time I made these pillows I only gave it a couple inches to fold over (seemed good enough in theory) but with a fluffy stuffed pillow shoved inside the new case, well...yeah. Those pillow cases are bursting at the seams! Poor dears.
Fun tip: Because I used a shower curtain which already had perfectly good seams I thought, why take more time to re-sew? Bah! You'd better believe that I used that beautifully preserved seam on the flap for all it's worth! Why make more work for myself, right?
Now, for the other side that I had cut out, that side definitely needed some sewing magic. I doubled over each of the short sides (the flap ends) and pinned into place.
Now, I'm no seamstress, but I can manage to sew a basic straight stitch...most of the time. Steaming or doing a quick press with an iron will help make it easier to sew.
After giving the short ends a nice pretty seam, fold the long sides over so "right" side of the fabric are together (making it look as if it were inside out).
Give yourself about a half inch seam allowance and sew straight up both sides of the fabric, including where the short ends overlap.
Once you stitch up the sides just turn the whole pillow case inside out and stuff your pillow inside - voila!
Ta-da! Perfectly lovely gold pillows, and the best part is, well, there's a few:
1. They were free! Don't overlook old sheets, curtains, clothing...they can make great pillow cases, fabric flowers, ruffles, scarves...
2. They were easy! Again, I am just barely learning to sew and, after cutting, I was able to make two of these cases in about half an hour.
3. They were eco friendly! I've always loved thrift shopping and I hate to waste anything. Lately I've realized the importance (and fun) that can come from trying to be a bit more aware of our eco footprint. Refashioning bored shower curtains into fun pillows did the trick!
2. They were easy! Again, I am just barely learning to sew and, after cutting, I was able to make two of these cases in about half an hour.
3. They were eco friendly! I've always loved thrift shopping and I hate to waste anything. Lately I've realized the importance (and fun) that can come from trying to be a bit more aware of our eco footprint. Refashioning bored shower curtains into fun pillows did the trick!