DIY Pillow Covers [Plus Pom-Poms and Tassels]: How To Make?

Pillow covers are a really easy way to update a room. Since I temporarily moved back home, my bedroom decor from high school has needed a huge change. If there’s one thing I can suggest for peace and happiness, it’s to create your zen den, your happy place, your indoor oasis. A space, even if it’s just one room, filled with things that make you happy and calm your senses, makes such a difference to your mental well-being.

My love of fiber arts and home decor has been growing rapidly, so I decided to make pillow covers to cover some old, ugly ones I had lying around. I then decided to take it one step further and hand-sew some yarn in the form of pom-poms and tassels onto them.

How To Make The Pillow Covers?

1. Measure the pillow that you want to cover. Mine were 17×17 inches.
2. Cut out two pieces of fabric. One with the same dimensions as your original pillow PLUS 1 inch for seam allowance, so 18×18 inches for the front of the cover and one piece of fabric for the back of the cover with the same width as the first but 6 more inches in height. So the back piece of my cover was 18×24 inches. I then cut this piece in half lengthways, as shown below.
3. Make two small hems on each back piece by folding the top or bottom edge over 1/2″ and sewing across.
4. Lay the back piece down “right side up.” Overlap the two back pieces on top so that the “right sides are touching. Pin all three layers together at the sides.
5. Tip: Snip off small triangles at the corners so they will be nice and sharp when you turn the pillow cover’s right sides out again. I like to use my rotary cutter for this.
6. Sew all the sides together. When going over the hem, as shown below, sew across all three layers of fabric. This will ensure no pieces of fabric are sticking out at the end. (I mistake I made the first time I sewed one of these)
7. Sew diagonally when you get to the corners. To do this, lift the presser foot and turn the fabric to a diagonal and sew down that line. Turn the fabric straight again under the presser foot when you’re done.
8. (optional) For a more professional finish, serge the edges of the fabric after they are all sewn together. You don’t need a serger for this. I don’t have one. I set my needle very close to the edge and sewed down all the edges with a zig-zag stitch. This technique prevents fraying.

Pillow Covers Add-Ons:

I show other people explaining how to make tassels here.

As for the pom-poms, you will need the following:

• A fork.
• Yarn: The best place to get yarn is thrift stores; I got a whole bag of balls of yarn for $1.99 at a local thrift store (Saver’s). If you don’t have any local thrift stores that sell craft supplies, I recommend Amazon.
• Small, sharp scissors.

Steps:

1. Wrap the yarn around the fork. I wrapped the yarn around 35 times for my smaller blue ones, and for the bigger multi-colored ones, I wrapped the yarn around 50 times. You can play around with this number depending on how big, or small you want your pom-poms to be.
2. Cut out a small piece of yarn and “thread” it through the middle prong of the fork and tie it tightly around the middle of the wrapped threads. Double knot it and then thread it back through the other side of the prongs, tie it tightly, and double knot it on this side to make sure it’s extra secure. Cut off the excess yarn.
3. Carefully pull the bundle off the fork, and you should be left with a cute little thing like in the bottom left picture above.
4. Take your small, sharp scissors and carefully cut through the loops on each side, and you will see the pom-pom start to emerge. (lol)
5. Fluff it out and give it a little haircut to make it a nice, even round shape.

Putting It All Together

Thread a needle with regular thread and stick the needle right through the middle of the pom-pom or through the top of the tassel and into the edge of your fabric and pass the needle in and out of the pom-pom/tassel and fabric several times. I like to make the needle go through the piece of yarn that ties the pom-pom/tassel together to ensure it’s secure.

Tie it off tightly and cut off the excess thread. Repeat for all of the pom poms and tassels. Tip: Place your pieces on the pillow covers beforehand and figure out where everything looks best before you sew them on.

There you have it! I hope to make many more in all sorts of variations. If you try this DIY, please let me know and use the username @thestylewrites on Pinterest so I can see it!

See Also:

• Sewing Machine Lift DIY
• Discover The Best Sewing Machine for Leather
• Best Serger Sewing Machine for Beginners
• Recommended Most Reliable Home Sewing Machines
• Best Portable Sewing Machine For Beginners