DIY: Envelope Pillow Cover

Have you ever had something you've been meaning to get around to, but just don't for, oh, about five years? I do sometimes. When we got our couch it came with two throw pillows that were not really my style, and also not particularly comfortable for those of us who end up accidentally falling asleep on the couch on a semi-regular basis (such as me). I've been meaning to make cuter and more comfortable covers for these pillows for years and kept putting it off because it always took the back seat to more fun and creative crafting projects. After days of deep cleaning, it was finally time to cover these bad boys up.

WHAT YOU NEED

Fabric  //  Measuring Tape  //  Scissors  //  Pins  //  Needle & Thread {or Sewing Machine}

HOW TO MAKE IT

Measure the pillow you're covering. Mine was 18" square so I'll use those dimensions for this tutorial.

This clearly needed to be covered long ago.

Next, measure and cut the front panel of your pillow cover. It should be the size of your pillow plus 1 inch extra in height and width for seam allowance. If your pillow is especially thick add a little extra seam allowance to account for that. Mine is 19" in both height and width.

I'm making two pillow covers so I cut two front panels.

You need two panels for the back. Both will be 19" wide (same as the front panel) and one will be 9.5" high (half the height of the front panel) while the other is 14.5" high (half the height of the front panel, plus 5 inches). Those extra 5 inches will overlap the smaller back panel to create the envelope opening.

For each pillow cover, you'll need three pieces:

Take the taller back panel (back panel #2) piece and fold over one edge for the hem. Pin in place.

Again, two panels because I'm making two pillow covers.

Sew the hem that you just pinned.

To finish, you need to sew all three pieces together. Place the front panel right side up. Next, lay back panel #2 (hemmed) right side down over the front panel (so the "good" sides touch), lining up the top edges. Finally, place back panel #1 (not hemmed) over the other panels, also right side down, lining up the bottom edges. Pin around all edges and sew.

To finish, flip the pillow cover right side out through the envelope slit in the back and stuff your pillow inside.

Back view with envelope opening

Do you like transforming your home decor? Do you ever put off projects for years at a time?

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