An Easy Way to Make Affordable Throw Pillows

The easiest and most affordable way to create custom textured throw pillows.

The other week, my daughter asked me to take her to Five Below so she could use a gift card.  As she wandered around looking at earrings and squishies I eyed up the home decor, glancing up and down the aisles.   I wasn't really seeing anything, but then down on a bottom shelf, I spotted a rolled up 3'x5' rug.  They had a variety of colors and styles, but I knew the black and creme striped rug would be perfect for DIY throw pillows for our home.   

The rug was thin, the weave gave it a nice texture, the colors were perfect and at $5 I couldn't resist the price.  You can't even buy a yard of quality fabric for $5 and this rug was plenty large enough to make not one, but at least two throw pillows.

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE A DIY RUG THROW PILLOW

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• 3'x5' woven rug (I found mine at Five Below)
• Sewing Machine
• Coordinating thread
• Scissors
• Fabric tape measure
• Feather pillow insert
• Pins 
• Hand needle

HOW TO MAKE A THROW PILLOW OUT OF A RUG

Don't worry if don't have the greatest sewing skills.  If you can sew a straight line and thread a needle than you can make this easy DIY pillow, I promise.  

STEP ONE:

Measure and cut your rug to size, leaving at least a half inch for seam allowance on all four sides.  I was able to fold my rug in half and only had to cut along the bottom and top of the rug.

TIP: You want your pillow insert to be larger than your cover.   If you have a 20 x 20 down pillow then you'll want to make your cover 18 x 18. 

STEP TWO:

I mentioned a half inch seam allowance because the rug will unravel a bit and you'll lose some fabric.  Once you have the rug cut, you'll need to serge the edge or add a zigzag stitch to prevent further fraying.

STEP THREE: 

Once the raw edges of the rug are secure, lay the fabric right sides together, line up the pattern, secure with pins then hem along all four sides, leaving about an 8 inch opening in the MIDDLE of the bottom of the pillow.

STEP FOUR: 

Insert the feather pillow, fold under the seam allowance, pin the opening closed then use a hand needle to whip stitch your pillow closed.   (Normally I use a blind stitch to close a pillow, but due to the weave and texture of the rug I felt a whip stitch worked better.)

I placed my new $5 pillow in our mudroom then gave it a good fluff and karate chop.  It looks great in this space, but I'm sure it will travel around our home since the colors and pattern are perfect for every room. 

I mentioned before that throw pillows are one of my favorite home decor staples, so having ones that I can move from room to room is super important.

I don't think I could have found a more perfect throw pillow with as much texture for less.  This is the first time I've used a rug to make a pillow and you can bet I'm going to keep my eye out for more. Placemats, shower curtains and table cloths also make great throw pillows, so be sure to keep your eye out for those as well. 

     

$5 TEA TOWEL PILLOW

AFFORDABLE PLACES TO BUY THROW PILLOWS

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