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Decorate My Home, Part 14 – Pleated Pillow Covers

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I’ve been on a pillow kick again.

It’s a strange addiction.

But I love the texture that this pleated pillow gave to our chair.

Nice crisp pleats.

A perfect way to liven up furniture.

Want to pleat your own pillow cover?

I was covering a 20 x 20 inch pillow, so I needed to come up with a finished pleated piece that was 21 x 21 inches, to have enough for a seam allowance on all sides. So I cut a strip that was the length of my yard of fabric (about 60 inches wide) and 21 inches tall. (I didn’t actually need the full 60 inches…..but I’ll show you that in a bit.)

Then I marked every 1 1/4 inches along the edge of the 60 inch side. (But I started about 2 inches from one end, to leave that for the seam allowance.) I folded over that edge and used it as a guide to mark the same marks along the middle of the fabric and the other end. And then I added more marks about a 1/4 way up and 3/4 of the way up. These marks, when lined up, will act as a guide as you’re folding over the fabric and sewing…..

Then I folded along one row of marks and made a 1/4 inch seam along the fold. With the right side of the fabric facing out. (If you need to, you can pin each row as you go……this would probably help if you’re a beginner sewer, just to keep everything in place for you.)

When opened up, it looked like this.

Then I continued along, making more and more 1/4 inch seams, folding right where the marks were.

Until I had enough seams to stretch 21 inches.

Make sure and iron/steam your pleats completely flat, and pull the fabric as you are ironing……to be sure that you are not puckering the fabric underneath.

(Iron flat before cutting the excess fabric off. Make sure you have enough and then trim off the extra from the 60 inch width.)

Here’s a look from the back…

Then using the same instructions here, attach this pleated piece to your back pieces with right sides together……to create the slip cover.

And then toss onto that chair.

And enjoy.

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Comments

  7. That's fab – I'm planning on making some cushions for my sister's birthday just like this…will definitely try this out!

  11. Wow, your pleats are SOOO nice! I love this. Thanks so much for sharing, I'll be linking.

  13. That is gorgeous. And I only wish I could sew that well.

    Mine would look more like a pleated pillow and a ruffled pillow had a terrible accident!

  15. Love this pillow. Your tutorial makes it look easy. I don't know if I'm up to that level of sewing yet. I need to make some new pillows.

    Ruth

  16. I LOVE it! I tried this once on a scrap piece of fabric…but bit off a little more than my beginner sewer status should have and attempted making a design instead of just straight pleats! Yours looks soooo much better! :)

  18. Very pretty! Thanks for the tutorial — tutorials take a lot of time and effort to make and we appreciate it!

  26. It looks beautiful, but golly, you must have a lot of patience! I am way too lazy for all those tiny pleats. I could maybe do big ones. ;) It turned out great, though!

  27. Oh how I wish I could sew… and one up from that… wish I had a sewing machine! Ha! Lovely pillows!

  28. How pretty! You make it look so easy. Pleats have always scared me. I just might give this a try.

  31. This was so helpful and exactly what I needed to make a cushion for my son's rocking chair. Thank you so much!

  32. great tutorial and I purchased the material to make on Friday, but can you tell me how you get the chalk off of the pillow front without washing?

  33. Hi !!! I am chilean and I loved the pillow and I am doing, then it will show in my blog….thanks a lot !!! www,elrincondemaruza.blogspot.com

  35. Thanks for the lovely post. I tried to work it out on silk but mine are not getting flat like yours even after ironing, can you please help out???
    Many thanks <3