Happy Fall Y'all! It's time for all things pumpkin, deeper autumn colors, comfort and warmth in home decor. I have a nice wood bench I purchased last summer and always intended to get some pillows out there on the front porch, but never did. I found this fabric on sale at JoAnns. It is an "outdoor" fabric which means it is a little heavier and will hold up better to weather. As a bonus, I found this sign at Hobby Lobby which matches the sunflower fabric perfectly! I hung it next to my wonky doorbell. (Hey, it's not perfect, but it's mine!)
I wasn't interested in purchasing new pillow forms for this project, but opted instead to make my own pillows. Goodwill to the rescue! I found these four pillows at Goodwill. Honestly, there are so many pillows at Goodwill, your best bet is to look for the colored tags that are 1/2 off. Find a pillow that feels "stuffed" as opposed to one with a solid foam form inside. I'm reusing the polyfill stuffing to make my own pillows with some added new polyfill I purchased at JoAnns. You also need a queen or king size flat sheet to make the form.
Start by deciding what size pillow you want. I made two 18" square and two 20" square pillows. To make your own pillow, cut 2 squares from the king size sheet, each 18 1/2" square (for 20" pillow, cut 2 20 1/2" squares). Using a zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine, sew a 1/4" seam around the perimeter of the 2 squares, leaving the last 4 inches or so open.
Now, slice open the Goodwill pillows and pull out the stuffing. What you are probably seeing is polyfill wrapped in a thin sheet of stiffer polyfill. Remove the thin sheet so you can access the polyfill stuffing on the inside. Because this is a used pillow, it will be a little stiff. As you pull it apart, fluff the polyfill before stuffing your own pillow. Turn the pillow form you just made inside out so the seams are inside, making sure to clip the corners before turning. Stuff the form will the polyfill from the used pillows through the opening you left on your pillow form until you get a good shape that is thick and firm. Don't be afraid to knead and roll the pillow around to get the look you want and don't forget to stuff the polyfill all the way into corners, pressing the seams, especially if you want a fuller pillow form.
NOTE: These are pillows I intend to use outside. If you are uncomfortable reusing polyfill from used pillows due to sanitary reasons, one way to sanitize them is to spray the polyfill with a bleach/water mix (3 parts water to 1 part bleach) and let it dry completely before stuffing your pillow form.
Now you are ready to close your pillow form. I just used a whip stitch over the top of the opening because no one will see this seam after I cover it with a pillow cover.
Time to make those beautiful pillow covers! I used my
Envelope Pillow Cover Pattern to make these. Cut your 18" pillow fabric 18" x 45" and the 20" pillow fabric 20" x 49". Following the
pattern create the hems on the short ends and then fold the fabric with the right sides together to get the overlap in the back. Pin along the open ends and sew. Clip the corners, turn inside out and you're ready to go!
This is such an easy pattern and I love the finished look. The best part? You just made your own pillows so you can create custom covers for every season to change-up your porch look.
Enjoy your autumn decor!
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