Dorm Crafts: DIY Throw Pillows

By Jackie Burrell, About.com Guide

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Sewing a Simple Throw Pillow Case

Photo by Jackie Burrell

Finishing the edges: Finish the raw edges of the fabric, by folding them under a half inch along the short ends. Press the crease and fold it under again to form a 2-inch hem. Stitch it into place and press.

Embellish: There are a couple of places you can add embellishments at this point. For the pillow in the photograph, I added a border to an overlapped edge, using a length of pieced fabric left over from a DIY duvet cover project. A similar effect can be achieved by cutting varying widths of coordinating fabric, each 2-3 inches wide by 5 inches long, then stitching them together along the long edges until you have a striped border piece as long as the pillow's width. Fold the border in half, wrong sides together. Pin it to the top side of the pillow fabric, at one end. Stitch, press, and voila - a border that will show when the overlap side of the pillow faces front. Alternatively, you can add stripes or appliqued details to the front.

Sew it up:: Place the fabric right side up. Center the pillow form on top and wrap the ends of the fabric around it, overlapping the finished edges. (If you have a border, like the one above, that you want to show, make sure you position it so it - not the unadorned edge - is closest to the pillow form.) Pin the raw edges together along the sides. Carefully remove the pillow from inside. Stitch along the side seams. Turn inside out, and press.

Jackie Burrell
Young Adults Guide