Teach Me Tuesday: Create an Easy-to-Sew Pleated Pillow

Welcome to Teach Me Tuesday! I spend a lot of time each week reading all of the great DIY tips out there in Blogland. Because there are so many fabulous projects that I can’t wait to try, I figured that it would be fun to feature some of my very favorites here each Tuesday.

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming edition of Teach Me Tuesday, please email me at LivingWithLindsay@gmail.com and we’ll chat!

This week’s Teach Me Tuesday features the wonderful Laurel from Ducks in a Row. I found Laurel (or Laurel found me?) a while back when my blog was just a few months old. She’s one of those awesome readers who I can always count on for a positive word or a constructive comment on a project. There are several of you out there, and you really make me smile every day.

Laurel has a fun blog that features some great tutorials, fun projects, and her adorable little family. I’m totally going to borrow steal one of her ideas about labeling toy bins with photos of what goes inside. That will definitely help me when Zack is trying to explain to me how the helicopters don’t go in the airplane bin because helicopters are very different than airplanes. That kid will do anything to get out of picking up his toys!

Last week, Laurel made the most wonderful pillow that I’ve seen in my life. Ever. I seriously wanted to run and make one immediately, but instead remembered my DADD and just added it to my list of things to do. See, small steps to recovery, right?

The pillow does require some sewing, but all you need to be able to do is sew a straight stitch. YOU can do this! And if you can’t, maybe your mom or you neighbor can. I bet if you buy enough fabric for them to sew one for themselves, they’ll be happy to accommodate you. Bribery goes a long way.

Laurel shows us how to make “the” pillow:

While I’m debating my drape dilemma, I am trying to finish other projects. Don’t we all have 2-3 projects we’re working on? Remember when I said I was going to copy Layla’s bench exactly- even the pillows? Well, that was the plan until I saw Kasey and her cute pillow:

I think it is perfection – in fact, if I remember correctly, she had to fight others to get it.

I had this pillow that I bought at HomeGoods after Christmas for $5. I don’t love the print, but I knew it was a shape that would come in handy. I also have some tan linen that I’ve been saving for something to do. I used about 2/3 of a yard. The pillow measures 25 1/2″ long by 13″ wide. Not a standard size, huh?

I need to cut 2 rectangles for the front – each 7″x26″ long (Take 13 and divide it by half is 6.5. Add 1/2 inch for seam allowances – is that too confusing?) Because I want to be able to take this on and off, and I’m too lazy to sew a zipper today, I think you call it an envelope back. Ribbons hold it together. The back pieces need to overlap. Cut 2 rectangles for the back – each 8 1/2″ x 26″. For the pleat, I thought a 3″ width was fine – so cut a rectangle 6″ x 52″ (double the width you want, double the length you want). That is the hardest part, seriously. If you have a different size pillow, hopefully you can follow my math and figure it out. Hopefully.

Next, fold the pleated piece in half longways and iron. I found the center and marked a line every 3″ starting at the center. Then, take the first line to the right of the center and fold it to meet the center – iron. Then just keep folding marks to match. Does that make sense?

I pinned it to a front piece, and sewed it. Then sewed 2 front pieces together, finished their edges:

For the back, I finished the edge and then folded over 1″ ( I could have folded over more, but I forgot what I calculated by that time). Stitch.

Line everything up, pin and stitch around the entire pillow. Finish the edges and clip the corners.

Turn inside out and push out the corners – I use a chopstick. Iron

Stitch on your ribbons. I zig-zag them on. I tried to put them about 1/3 of the way.

Pray that you did your calculations right – Moment of truth:

So cute – I love making pillows that I know are unique and not everyone else looks at them and knows exactly where you got them. They are pretty inexpensive to make and add so much to a room.

Seriously, it took me WAY longer to write this out, then it did to sew it. Next up for this project – black and white ticking seat cushions. I may or may not tuft them. I may or may not get distracted by another project.

How stinking adorable is that? I love the way it dresses up what’s basically a very easy to assemble pillow. I could totally see a row of these in different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures across a window seat. I could totally see that happening in my breakfast room very soon.

Thanks to Laurel for creating such a fab tutorial! Please head on over to Ducks in a Row to see what other goodies you might find.

Tagged as: Decorating, Decorating Inspiration, DIY, Do it Yourselfer, Home Dec, Home Decor, pillow, sewing, Teach me Tuesday