How to make fall and holiday pillows for much less using tablecloths and more.
This little trick is perfect for fall and holiday pillows. I mean, who wants to spend a fortune on pillows that will only be available for two or three months?
I’ve shared this little trick a few times, because it saves me a lot of money. It saves me a lot of time, but I’m so fast at these things now that it doesn’t take long at all.
I love seasonal decorations that can be used for more than two weeks and are easy to store. These decorations always fit both criteria. They are also inexpensive. They also meet the same criteria.
I’ve always loved Pottery Barn’s fall pillow collection, but it’s over $30 per pillowcase alone. When I want a pillowcase, maybe. But when I want a set, I can’t.
Years ago, I started looking for other ways to get the same look, at a much lower cost!
I found this runner at Marshall’s (they have similar runners at TJ Maxx and HomeGoods too) and my plan started to take shape:
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I’ve done this before with runner pillows, but for a lumbar pillow. This one had four designs, two longer ones and two more squared off at the ends. I loved the embroidery – a little detail that makes it look a little more expensive.
I measured from each end to make sure the design was centered. Then I cut them out (making sure they were mostly square).
Two of these designs were on the ends of the runner, so I only had to sew one side!
You can either close one side with a sewing machine or by hand. I usually do a very simple hand sewing, and it’s easy to open it up later so I can reuse the pillow forms.
I used these cheap soft inserts for the pillows. They are very soft which is good because these pillows are smaller. This insert was only 14 inches wide–I knew it would be smaller which was acceptable to me. Keep an eye out for that because there are a lot of inserts that are much wider.
A long tablecloth can make a great cotton cushion for your sofa or bed!
You probably screamed out loud when I started stuffing them with accessories:
I mean, come on, that’s great.
I love them!:
The runner was $13, and I already had the inserts, so each one was only a few dollars for me. Remember, inserts can be used over and over again — I remove and change the covers frequently.
I loved these pumpkin pillows from Pottery Barn:
So I did some searching and found some great napkins from Pottery Barn that had the same look, and some patterned napkins in the same colors:
These were on sale, so I bought eight wipes for about $45. To me, that’s a lot of money for eight wipes, but it’s great for eight pillows.
By the way, I found this placemat at Marshall’s that looks very similar to the PB placemats and pillows:
I usually put two napkins together and make them symmetrical on both sides. I wanted to make them extra stretchy so I used some inexpensive linen I had as a backing.
It would also be nice to use two different placemats on each side so you can flip them over for a different look!
I just traced the napkins and cut out the fabric for the back:
Place the good side of the napkin on the backing fabric, sew three sides, then turn it right side out and stuff with stuffing or filling.
I’m so fast at sewing pillows now that it only takes me about five minutes to sew each one. I’m not a great seamstress. Quite the opposite. But pillows don’t have to be perfect, and luckily most fabrics are very forgiving.
I added the filling and then hand sewed the last side:
Since I had the inserts these cost me less than $6 each!
I love the muted colors of this season, they are so beautiful:
I leave these wipes out for a few months and then use them year after year. This DIY method is so much cheaper, especially if you want a bunch! It was funny because I told the PB employee what I do with the wipes and she did the same thing. Love it. 😉
Adding fall colors to our home this time of year makes me so happy. It’s the start of my favorite few months of the year!
Have you tried this decorating trick before? If you’re not comfortable using a sewing machine, ask around. If the materials are ready to use, it should only take a few minutes for a friend who sews to assemble them.
I know the sewing machine is scary, but it’s not that bad, I promise! I use a Brother sewing machine similar to this one. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be sewing napkin pillows left and right! 🙂
Go get some napkins! Kitchen towels! Shower curtains! You can make pillows out of any fabric you like.
