Sprucing Up the Patio - DIY Pillow Covers

Sprucing Up the Patio DIY Pillow Covers

When it comes to DIY, I try to cut corners and save money whenever and however I can.
Recently, we had to replace our bed cover after a certain puppy chewed up the edges. 🙄

I really like our bedspread because it’s just the right weight-not too hot. This is the bedspread we have:

here


I ordered the bedspread and completely forgot that it comes with two matching sham covers. So now I found myself with 4 shams. What was I to do? I certainly did not want to throw them away. I remembered that my two throw pillows that I have on my patio chairs became discolored when I had them out on my previous uncovered patio.

 I decided to make pillow covers for those two pillows with the extra shams I had!

First I gathered my materials: The two extra shams (why buy fabric right?)

**Fabric scissors, parchment paper of piece of cardboard, vinyl gloves, toothpick/brush, fabric glue (I had on hand) and a pretty ribbon that would go with a nautical theme**

One of the extra shams laid out 

Let's see how this glue holds up 

Disclaimer: I am not a sew-er. I do not sew (save for a few buttons now and then) and I am ashamed to say, that my mother is a professional seamstress (hangs head in shame) and I never picked up on her talent. My mother now lives one hour away and with her eyesight going, she can no longer sew ☹

Anywho, after that long winded disclaimer, let’s get to work. You too can make pillow covers with fabric glue and an old, light comforter or any old pillowcase you may have.
I really like the quilted pattern of the shams and the navy color. First, I took the discolored pillows and placed them inside the sham to see how much I needed to cut off in excess fabric. The beauty of this is that the sham is already sewn and finished except for the part you cut off. I wanted to keep the pretty cording all the way around, so I measured and cut that piece and put it aside.

Here's where I cut it to size and where the overlapping piece will be glued.

Overlapping piece with cording

I used a ruler and chalk to help me mark up the fabric

Parchment paper between fabric 

Ribbon I used

Here it is laid on the fabric

I measured 1 inch in from the top of the edge of the cut piece and dabbed glue all the way across with a cut off dowel. You can use a toothpick, small brush, whatever you have on hand.

I then laid the thin piece across the sham top and lifted one edge, dabbed the fabric glue, then continued all the way across. Make sure you are not gluing all the way through the back of the sham making it shut. I cut a piece of parchment paper to slip between the sham to keep it free of glue.
Press down on the fabric making sure it is straight. While the glue dries, I measured my piece of ribbon that will go across the seam of the slim piece of fabric and the sham. The ribbon is to mask the seam. You will need to cut two identical pieces of ribbon. One for the top and one for the bottom.
Note: Use your imagination and add an applique, more ribbon, whatever floats your boat!
I used some books to flatten down the wet fabric glue and hold it together while I started on the other sham. You will do the exact same thing to the other sham.
I used vinyl gloves to protect my hands. Also, keep in mind that this fabric glue is smelly.
Once the fabric glue is dry to the touch, I then dabbed the glue on the back of the ribbon and laid it down carefully on the bottom half of the sham. You can fold in the corners of the ribbon to make it look better and glue them down or just cut them to size.
I weighed everything down again with books. Once everything was dry, I put my discolored pillow inside the new shams.
Now they are ready to be stuffed with the old pillows. And here they are on my patio chairs.

Love them! Total cost was $7 for the ribbon. I had all the other things. What are you repurposing?

Leave me a comment with your link to the project you are working on.
xoxo
Patty