Almost No-Sew Pillow

Yesterday I stopped by Home Goods...I can't help myself.  I just love that store.  I walked up and down the aisles and nothing really grabbed my attention, until I went into the tablecloth aisle and saw these placemats.

These were $14.99 for four 15"x15" placemats.  However, when I saw these I didn't think placemats...I thought pillows.  Everything about it screamed pillow at me...the size, the shape, the design.  I mean, really, how often do you see a square placemat?

Image from Pottery Barn

It reminded me of the embroidered pillows I often see at Pottery Barn (which are $39 each for the pillow cover).

Originally I thought I would sew two placemats together and form a pillow that way.  Upon closer inspection of how these placemats were constructed, I realized I only had to rip open the seam and stuff in between the back and the front.  Almost no sewing.

Using my seam ripper, I ripped open a small section of the seam at the bottom.  I then had to put my hand inside to separate the front and back piece of fabric.  When they make these placemats they use a piece of fusible web to hold the front and back together.  It comes apart really easily.

So here's another thing that didn't go as planned.  I planned on taking the insert from this pillow (which is no longer being used anywhere) and putting it inside of the new pillow.  When I ripped the seam of this fringed pillow, it turns out there was no insert, but stuffing.  That's when I decided to only open up a small seam in the placemat in order to stuff it.

I stuffed it using the stuffing from the pillow I was no longer using.

Then I hand sewed the seam back together.  Honestly, it was faster than filling a new bobbin with white thread (I have aqua thread in my sewing machine right now from another project I will share with you in the next few days).   It was that easy.  Less than fifteen minutes later...voila:

Do you love it as much as I do?

I made a second one as well.  I was able to find an actual insert for the other one (I have a stash of old pillows no longer being used in a closet).  The only difference was that I had to rip open a larger opening so that I could fit the insert in.  Other than that they both came out the same.

I think I like how two at the end of my guest room bed looks.

Or maybe one on the chair and one at the end of the bed...what do you think?

Total cost of this project  - $3.75 per pillow.  Now that's a real deal.  I still have two placemats left.  I will come up with something cool to do with those two as well.  Any ideas?

Don't forget, the Winter Blues Wednesday party will stay open through Friday.  If you haven't linked up yet, there's still time.  Just click here to join in the fun.

-Judy

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