DIY Pillow Cover (from Something Unexpected)

Welcome! Some of my goals for this blog are to encourage you to furnish your home creatively, try new things, and keep moving forward when you get stuck.

So in the next few posts, I am going to focus on some creative uses for fabric around the home. I hope these posts encourage you to think outside the box and maybe use things you already have in unexpected ways!

First up, I've got this for you.

And of course it starts with a story. I've found some fun things at our local Goodwill, and one day as I was walking by the women's clothing racks, something caught my eye. The pattern was amazing and the colors were fantastic. But it wasn't really something I was interested in wearing...

Because I had other plans for it. A pillow cover! I already had a pillow form and a zipper on hand, and the skirt was just a few dollars.

Design Sponge has my go-to tutorial for sewing a pillow cover. Like the author, I agree that sewing a zipper might seem like a big deal, but it isn't! And you'll be so glad you added that zipper when you spill something on your pillow. It happens.

First, I carefully cut off the skirt's waistband and unfolded the pleats so my fabric was flat. Then, I treated it like fabric from the bolt and just cut it to size according to the instructions. I tried to find the most interesting part of the pattern for the center of the pillow, but I love that the pattern has variation. This fabric is definitely thinner than upholstery weight, but I am okay with that.

The instructions are very simple, so it didn't take long to turn something old into something new. This concept could work for other articles of clothing, too. Maybe you have a sweater with a hole in the elbow, but you could use the body portion to make a pillow cover. I say go for it! The texture of a cable-knit sweater could be really great for a cozy, inexpensive fall pillow (like this one!). It is a great way to reuse.