How To Make A Pillow Cover In 15-30 Minutes

Do you want to know how to make a pillow cover for your home? 

Every item in your home décor represents your thoughts and reflects your personality. Large items such as sofas and tables last for years, but pillow covers can be changed. 

Pillow covers let you be more creative. They can be made in any strong color, such as yellow or funny green. It can become a style statement for your home décor. 

With every room in your home, you can be more creative and give it a unique, peaceful, vibrant, contemporary, or luxurious touch.

The right pillow covers can brighten up your entire home décor and increase the aesthetic value of your room.

Apart from home décor items, pillows and pillowcases provide emotional comfort. Just think of the time when you cried into a pillow or held a pillow when you were missing someone. 

While going through some emotional moments, it’s good to have a nice pillow cover around to give you comfort and cheer up your mood.

With so many exciting benefits of pillow covers and their importance in our lives, you must learn how to make a pillow cover at home.

From now on, you don’t need to spend a huge amount on purchasing decorative pillow covers. DIY pillow cover making is easy and takes less time. This beginner-level DIY project can be completed within 15-30 minutes. 

In this article, we have covered everything you want to know about learning how to make a pillow cover—right from the basic pillow cover to high-end, luxurious pillow covers. 

Let’s take a look. 

How To Make A Square Pillow: Easy Tips

It is reported that every American have two to three pillows on their bed. With that said, you can understand the essence of pillows in everyone’s life.

How to make a pillow cover
Image Source: Andrea Piacquadio On Pexels

Just like pillows, pillow covers are also an essential item. Pillowcases can improve or highlight your room without outshining it. It can make the overall look much more cohesive. 

Here are some essential tips to keep in mind before learning how to make a square pillow for your home. 

Use Good Quality Fabric

Do you know satin pillow covers are beneficial for your skin and hair? Choosing the right quality for your DIY pillow cover project is essential. 

Plain satin pillow case
Image Source: Pinterest

Lightweight types of cotton fabric are recommended for how to sew pillow covers. Taking a look at the care labels of the fabric can give you more ideas. 

Cutting The Same Size For Front And Backside

This is one of the most important tips that you need to consider. When learning how to make a pillow cover, you should cut fronts and backs to the same size. 

If you cut the front one or two-inch bigger than the back, then you might end up with a baggy pillow cover. Make sure the corners of the pillow cover fit tight so that you can get a crisp and clean look. 

Use A Feather To Insert Your Pillows

Another essential tip is to use a feather to insert the pillow. You can buy it from IKEA. They might be expensive, but the outcomes are mesmerizing. 

How to make a pillow form
Image Source: Pinterest

Don’t Forget To Clip Your Corners

This essential tip shows the difference between a homemade pillow cover and a professional one. Clip the excessive fabric inside the pillow cover to make your pillow cover corners look like store-bought, expensive covers. 

Match Your Fabric At The Seam

This might take much more time and fabric, but the outcomes are worth the effort. Matching the fabric at the side seams and across the back of the pillow cover helps you transform your homemade pillow cover into a professional-looking. 

How to make a throw pillow cover
Image Source: WeAllSew

How To Make Your Own Pillow Covers: Supplies

Now that you have some hand tips, you can begin your journey of learning how to make your own pillow covers at home.

Before we begin, here are some supplies and sewing kit essentials you need:

    • Light or medium weight quilting cotton fabric
    • Matching thread
    • Rotary cutter
    • Quilting mat
    • Quilting ruler
    • Sewing machine
    • Scissors
    • Needles
    • Iron
    • Pins 

How To Make Cushion Pillow: Fabric Calculation

This is pretty easy when learning how to make a throw pillow cover project. Just take your desired fabric and prewash it before beginning.

To get the exact fabric calculation, you need to determine the pillow size. For example, if you have a pillow of 16 x 16 inches, then one side of your fabric will consist of 16 inches, and the other side will be double that with added six inches for the overlap. 

So, you need a total of 16 inches x 38 inches of fabric.

Here’s a simple formula

Height = Pillow size

Length = Pillow size * 2 + 6 inches

Understanding fabric calculations will smooth your journey of how to make cushion pillows for the home. 

How To Make A Pillow Cover – Step By Step Instructions

Making pillow covers at home is one of the best DIY projects for beginners. They are easy to make and take just 15-30 minutes from start to finish.

In this tutorial, you can learn how to make a pillow cover at home with step-by-step instructions. 

Choose Your Fabric

The first step of how to make a pillow cover project is to choose the right fabric. Many people often select a fabric that feels comfortable and matches the room’s color scheme for which they are making the pillow.

Pick the fabric and color that matches your room’s décor. Pay special attention to your bed coverings and bedsheets.

Pillowcase size guide
Image Source: Amerisleep 

If you are learning how to make a rectangular pillow cover, you need at least 1.8 meters (two yards) of fabric. 

Pro tips:

    • Choose a washable fabric so that you can clean your pillow covers.
    • Choose any type of fabric for making decorative pillowcases. 

Cut Your Fabric

To make a standard pillow cover, you need to use a scissor or rotary cutter and cut out a piece. Just in case you are using a patterned fabric, you need to pay special attention while cutting. Make sure the pattern is straight.

Here’s simple math that will help you cut the fabric for a pillow cover.

PILLOW SIZE 14 INCH (35.5CM) 16 INCH (40.6CM) 18 INCH (45.7CM) 20 INCH (50.8CM)
HEIGHT 15” (38CM) 17” (43.1CM) 19” (48.2CM) 21” (53.3CM)
WIDTH 34” (86.3CM) 38” (96.5CM) 42” (106.6CM) 46” (116.8CM))

Fold Your Fabric, Iron It, Pin, And Sew

Now that you have the measurement and the fabric is ready, you need to create a seam for the outer edges by folding the fabric inside around 3.5 inches.

How to sew your own silk pillowcase
Image Source: Sewing.com

Iron the folded fabric part and pin it so that the fabric stays in place. Start by sewing the bottom edges of the fabric. In this way, you will be able to create a faux cuff that is similar to a French seam.

Repeat The Same Steps With The Second Fabric

At this stage, you have one side of the fabric ready. To complete your tutorial on how to make a rectangular pillow, you should follow the same steps to prepare the second piece of the fabric. 

Pin The Pieces Together And Sew

Once you have both the fabric ready, you need to lay down the right sides of both the fabric together and line up the cuffs you have created in the above steps. Here the cuffs will act as the opening side of the pillow cover.

How to make your own pillow covers
Image Source: Michael Burrows On Pexels

Pin the remaining three sides using straight pins and start sewing the straight line around the edges of the pillow cover.

Hem the Open Side

At this stage of learning how to make a pillow cover for a pillow form, you need to add ½ inch for the hem. Fold the fabric and prepare a three-inch hem.

 Iron the fabric again and use a sewing machine and needles to stitch your pillow cover. 

Tada! It’s Ready To Use

Your homemade, professional-looking pillow cover is ready to use. This tutorial was all about learning how to make a pillow cover without a zipper.

How to make pillow inserts
Image Source: Sailrite

If you want to make a decorative pillow, then you can use some ribbons, lace, or other decorative items to finish your pillow cover.

This is your first handmade pillow cover. Do give it some professional look by using Superlabel store’s super customizable,

Once everything is done, you can try your hands and learn to sew some intermediate projects like curtains. Our guide on how to make curtains will help you understand it in the most efficient way. 

FAQs

What Is the Standard Size You Should Consider While Learning How to Make a Square Pillowcase?

A standard pillow cover size is 20 inches x 26 inches. 

How to make a rectangular pillowcase
Image Source: Au Lit Fine Linens

What Are the Dimensions for Other Pillow Covers?

If you are making king size pillow cover, then the size should be 20 * 36 inches, and for a queen-size pillow cover, the size is 20 *30 inches. 

Can a Beginner Sewer Learn How to Make a Pillow Cover?

Yes. This is a beginner-level DIY sewing project. The best thing about pillow cover making is that it can be completed within 15-30 minutes. 

How to make a square pillowcase
Image Source: Max Vakhtbovych On Pexels

How to Make Decorative Pillow Covers?

The fabric cutting, measurement, and sewing steps will be the same for making decorative pillow covers. 

One should pay attention to decorative items such as pom poms, tassels, piping, sequins, embroidery, texture, etc. They will highlight your entire décor. 

According to the occasion, you can choose the decorative item and sew it along with the pillow cover. 

What Are Envelope Pillowcases?

Envelope pillow covers are popular among so many people. The standard pillow covers have open ends, and envelope pillowcases come with a unique envelope closure at the back of the cover that forms an envelope shape. 

Pillowcase sewing tutorial
Image Source: SHVETS Production On Pexels

While learning how to make an envelope pillowcase, one should pay attention to the closure part and give it a more finished look. 

What Types of Pillow Covers Can Be Made at Home?

There are different types of pillowcases or covers available that you can make at home. Some of them are throw pillows, flange, embellished, bed pillows, body pillows, envelop pillowcases, etc. 

Conclusion

A square or rectangle pillowcases are the best ways to upgrade the look of your home. They are one of the most lovable home décor items that you can change anytime to give a new look to your room.

Using the above information, you can learn to make attractive, homemade pillow covers at home that look professional. DIY pillow cover making also allows you to polish your sewing skills.

Now that you know how to make a pillow cover, you can make multiple throw covers at home and transform the look of your room.

Be it the festive season or normal days; you can make attractive pillow covers at home that look professional.

Don’t miss an opportunity to uplift the look of your home décor with handmade pillowcases. 

This is a once-in-a-lifetime, small-budget makeover idea.

Happy Sewing!