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How To Make an Envelope Closure Pillow

I’m not great at sewing. In fact, I pretty much stick to sewing square things like pillows, curtains, book slings, tablecloths, and handkerchiefs. Okay, not handkerchiefs (do people actually use those anymore?), but you get the picture.  Luckily sewing an envelope closure pillow is super simple and a great place to start if you’re new to sewing.
 
how to make an envelope closure pillow tutorial
So here is the process…
 
First pick your fabric. This is the best part! Don’t be afraid to go with something bold, its just a throw pillow and is so easy to change whenever the mood strikes.
 
Next measure and cut your fabric. For a 16 x 16 pillow you should cut one square at 17 x 17 and one at 17 x 25. The second piece must be wider to accommodate the overlay of the envelope closure.
bold fabric pillow
 
 Here is what your pieces should look like. Helpful hint – if you have hardwood floors like I do (or tile), use the lines in the wood to cut straight lines. (I know the bottom piece here doesn’t look like a square, but it is, I promise.)
envelope closure pillow

Next, cut your wider piece in half.
DIY pillow case
 
At this point I broke out the iron, but it’s not a must – you could just use pins for this step. Fold over and press (or pin) the long edge of the pieces you just cut. This will make the finished edge on the envelope closure.
pillow case
 
 Bust out the sewing machine and stitch along the inner edge of the fold. You could hand stitch this if you don’t have a machine or use Unique Stitch (glue). Buying a machine doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, I bought mine six years ago for $60 and it does everything I need. Plus its blue…bonus!
pillow case design
 
If your stitching isn’t exactly straight, don’t worry about it. See how the top piece is kinda crooked? I put that one on the inside of the envelope… no one will ever see it.
envelope closure pillow case
 
Place your pieces together with the printed sides on the inside and envelopes toward the center.
pillow tutorial
 
 Pin the edges to keep everything straight while your sewing. You don’t have to go crazy here, 3-4 pins on a side is more than enough.
pillow project
 
 Sew around the perimeter of the pillow. When you come to a corner just lift the foot on the machine, turn your pillow, and keep going. It’s best to keep one continuous stitch.
pillow stitching tutorial
 
Cut off the excess material from the edges. If your stitch is very near the edge this may not be necessary.
DIY pillow case
 
 Square off the corners. This will make for pointier corners than ones that have too much fabric in them.
pillow project
 
 Turn your pillow cover right side out – here is how the envelope closure should look.
yellow pillowcase
 
That’s it, just stuff in your pillow and your done!
pillow back and front
 
Hope that was helpful! Once you get this down it’s easy to start adding embellishments and whatnot – the possibilities are endless!
 
 
Want to see how to make and even easier pillow? GO HERE
Make a pillow in less than 10 minutes for about $4!

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37 Comments

  1. You make it look so easy!! Love you fabric – and that color! You'd be so proud, I'm buying a sewing maching next month! I'm getting domesticated! =)

  2. This is just what I've been looking for! I've got the fabric, the pillows and the sewing machine; now I have instructions. Thank you.

    And BTW – I love your little decorating blog. Such great ideas. I'm a new fan!

  3. Love the pillow! Hi! Just stopping by. Following you from the You Like Me Friday Blog Hop. Would love a visit and a follow back on my blog: http://blog.writerslairbooks.com. Thanks! By the way, we are GIVING AWAY an IPAD 2 and would love for you to enter if you haven’t already! Nice to meet you!

  4. I got myself a sewing machine for Christmas and am, frankly, scared to death of it. With lots of u-tube video's, I managed to get it threaded and bobbin'ed and all that stuff. Managed to sew some curtain panels together. And that's pretty much it… This actually looks like something I could (should) be able to do! ~Following from the Boost my Blog Friday Hop. Visit me and follow if you like: Kerrye @ http://impossiblecleanliness.blogspot.com

  5. Thank you for posting this! I've looked at half a dozen envelope pillow tutorials and still couldn't get it. With yours it finally clicked! Thank you again!!!

  6. What a timely post for me. I am looking for pillows for my living room and not finding what I was looking for I am considering making them but didn't want to have to tackle the whole zipper thing. Thanks so much for the link up to Motivated Monday at BeColorful
    Pam

  7. Thanks for the tutorial! :) I cut out fabric about 9 years ago to make some the same… but I was too chicken to sew them. (I only just started sewing recently) You have inspired me to pull them out and give it a shot! :)

  8. Thank you so much for posting this tutorial! I just finished covering 2 pillows for my daughter’s bed using your instructions and they look great…best ones I ever made.

  9. Oh my gosh, I think you just saved my sanity! I have been wanting to experiment with using embroidery quilt blocks as throw pillows, but was unsure how to sew everything together while still being able to take the pillow form out and clean the case by itself. This is exactly what I was looking for, just didn’t know the terminology of “envelope”

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