I love to sew and I especially love to sew pillows. Changing up pillows is a quick and easy way to redecorate any room. I have made many pillows over the years but I have always been afraid to try making a pillow with a zipper. I've tried looking up tutorials but they always seemed a bit confusing. I usually make envelope pillows and pillows where I hand sew the pillow closed after adding the insert.
I finally got up the courage to try my hand at a zipper enclosure pillow after seeing this
tutorial from Centsational Girl last week. Seriously, this tutorial has forever changed my view of sewing a pillow with a zipper. It's so easy!!
First I cut my fabric to size for my pillow insert. I love this self-healing cutting mat I got at
Wholeport. It seems to keep the fabric in place much more than any other mat I have ever used before.
I use a square when making pillows. I use a pencil and mark the edges of my pillow on the back side of the fabric.
It's much easier to make straight cuts using a rotary cutter. I used to try not marking the fabric and just using the rotary cutter with the square, but that never seems to go well. Usually I end up moving the square just a little bit and messing up the cut. Much easier to mark it and then use the rotary cutter. I ultimately made four pillows so the rotary cutter made things go much faster.
I followed the Centsational Girl directions completely.
After sewing the edge close to the zipper, I also sewed the outside edge of the zipper to make the edges look a little more professional.
In less than twenty minutes from start to finish, I had completed my pillow.
Two of the pillows I used on the chairs in our basement family room.
Just look at my zipper enclosure. So happy with it. I actually tried to buy the invisible zippers, but JoAnn's didn't have it in the sizes I needed. These worked just as well.
The other two I made to use on my family room sofa.
Yep - really happy with my new zipper enclosure pillows.
Can't wait to hear what you think.
-Judy
