by Sophia Josephina

Created on: June 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 01, 2009

Creating a pillow can be a rewarding experience. The process is painless and each time you finish a step you will see your creativity at work. If this is your first time you will find it exceptionally rewarding and beneficial. You will find that you really can sew!

Here are some basic steps to get you started.

1. Don't get discouraged if you make a mistake, even the best seamstresses make mistakes and have to tear their work out sometimes.

2. Be creative. Draw a picture of a pillow on a piece of printer paper. You don't have to draw it life size, you just want to have some idea of what you want to do. This is exactly how designers do.

3. Decide what size pillow you want to make. Small Pillow - 12" x 12". Medium Size Pillow - 24" x 24". Large Pillow for the floor - 48" x48". You can even make a rectangular size pillow - 24" x 12".

4. After you have decided on a shape and size of your creation, take a piece of newspaper and cut it to the size you want. This will give you some idea if the size you have chosen is proportioned and looks good. Remember, you are only looking at the size - not the design. I know this can be hard to imagine especially if this is your first time sewing a pillow.

5. If the size looks good to you, take your measurements from the newspaper.

6. Add " to your measurements, this is for your seem (seem allowance).

7. Now you can go shopping for your material. It is best to use cotton like the kind used for quilting especially if this is your first pillow. Cotton doesn't stretch like some other fabrics and comes in all different kinds of prints and colors. The following is a list of items you will need to complete your creation.

a. FABRIC - take your measurements with you, If you already know how to get fabric cut just pick your fabric out and well you know the rest J. If this is your first time ask a fabric store employee for help they are usually pretty knowledgeable, they can show you where the cotton fabric is, they'll also know exactly how much fabric you will need for your creation.

b. STUFFING - Again ask for help if you need it, don't be shy.

c. THREAD to match your fabric.

d. SCISSORS - if you don't already own a pair.

e. PINS

f. All of these items should only cost between $12 - $25, depending on how big you are making your pillow.

8. Wash your fabric. This prevents shrinkage later.

9. After drying, iron your fabric so it is nice and smooth for the next step. If it has wrinkles in it, it will be hard to get an exact

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>