How to Sew a Pillow Cover to Match Your Decor

For this blogpost, one of our Good's Store team members, Victoria, guides us step-by-step to sew this attractive, easy-to-sew pillow cover. This is a great way to add a new spark to your living room or sitting room without breaking the bank, and you can choose any colors and combinations of fabric you'd like. Either Tropical Breeze Fabric or Moda Fabric would be fine, and if you need a pillow insert, you can find Soft Touch Pillow inserts here.

Besides working at Good's Store, Victoria, along with her mother, runs a small custom sewing business in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. They sew pillows, table runners, quilts, and do clothing alterations and other miscellaneous sewing.

Happy Sewing!

Materials Needed:

21 strips of fabric, each 3”×16.5"  for the front stripes (you can use 3 Fat Quarters)

1 square fabric measuring 16.5" × 16.5" for the front lining (you can use 1 Fat Quarter)

2 rectangles fabric each measuring 12”×16.5" for the back (you can use 2 Fat Quarters)

1 pillow insert, 16" square

Step 1

Iron each strip in half lengthwise.

Step 2

Place one strip along the bottom of the 16.5" square. Use ¼” seam allowance and sew along the non-ironed side to attach it. The ironed side of the strip should face the edge of the square.

Step 3

After the first strip is sewed on, mark lines on the square, ¾” apart starting from the top of the first strip.

Step 4

Sew the rest of the strips onto the square following the lines.

Step 5

Prepare the back. On the long side of each rectangle, iron ¼” under and then iron that under again 1”. Top stitch.

Step 6

Place one rectangle onto the striped square, with right sides facing. Sew along the 3 outer edges.

Step 7

 Repeat for the other rectangle.

Step 8

Finally, turn right side out through the opening. Fits a 16” square pillow.

For a different look, use all the same fabric for the strips. Or add a few strips with lace or ruffles (for ruffles, you'd need to start with longer strips of fabric). For a very special pillow, you could use leftover fabric from your wedding, or sew a pillow cover to match a quilt you made.

Click here to read more about Good's Store serving as a fabric store in Lancaster, PA.