Easy DIY Envelope Pillow Cover From a Single Piece of Fabric!

Looking for easy machine sewing projects for beginners? If you’re a sewing beginner there isn’t anything as easy to make as a DIY envelope pillow cover!  What makes this step by step DIY a great idea is that you can make this envelope pillow cover from one, single piece of fabric!  So….with one cut of fabric and four passes on the sewing machine you can have a custom envelope pillow cover!

With a small time and financial investment you can change the entire feel of a room.  When it’s time to do something new or decorate for the holidays you can simply remove the pillow covers and sew something new!  It’s pretty frugal when you think about it!  Just look how beautiful this DIY envelope pillow cover turned out:

If you haven’t made the small investment in pillow inserts yet I highly recommend picking a few up on Amazon.  They have the best pricing I’ve seen on these down alternative throw pillows.  They hold their shape really nicely, have stood the test of time & you just can’t find anything comparable (price wise) in the big box stores.

I use 18×18 pillow size for this tutorial which is pretty standard (if you were to buy pillow covers off the shelf anywhere else they would most likely be 18×18).  That said, if you are sewing custom covers you can pick from several sizes available.

Personally, I like to mix and match sizes when I’m designing a bedroom or living room.  I like to use long rectangular pillows (12×20) mixed with some standard sized pillows (18×18) and some euro sized (28×28).  Using different sizes allows the viewer to take in all the textures, colors & patterns.  Take a look at how this DIY project pillow looks against a few different sized pillows:

Okay, let’s move on to the DIY envelope pillow tutorial.  I would be remiss if I didn’t make this some sort of homage to my favorite decorating style which is farmhouse.  I’m using navy blue ticking stripe which is similar to canvas.  It wears really well & it’s easy to wash.

I also appliqued a navy blue felt swiss cross to the front which really nails down the farmhouse look.  Swiss cross blankets, rugs and home decor is popping up everywhere!  So this look is really on trend.  I’m using felt because it doesn’t fray.  If I had chosen just about any other fabric I would have hem or use some sort of fray stop product to keep it from fraying in the washing machine.

Much to my dismay, I don’t have any real fabric stores anywhere near me so I get everything fabric and crafting related shipped from Hobby Lobby (which saves me the 1 hour craft store commute).  I was able to order the navy blue ticking by the yard and the navy blue felt for the swiss cross online (and apply those awesome Hobby Lobby coupons)…BLAMO….it was all here in a few days!  Man, I love the internet…

{Hyperlinked Envelope Pillow Cover Supplies}

• Basic Sewing Machine
• Hot Iron
• Ticking Fabric in Navy Blue or if you prefer Red Ticking is also an option
• Navy Blue Felt Square
• Thread in Coordinating Colors (blue for cross & creamy white for the pillow)
• 18×18 Pillow Insert
• Straight Pins
• Scissors or Rotary Cutter, Cutting Mat & Straight Edge
• Tape Measure or Measuring Stick
• Free Swiss Cross Template Download

{Step 1: Cut Rectangle for Pillow Cover}

From your navy blue ticking fabric you will need to cut a piece that is 19″x 42″ inches.  For best results used a cutting mat, straight edge & a rotary cutting wheel to cut a true rectangle.  If these items aren’t available you can use a long straight edge and a pencil to draw the above dimensions and make cuts.

To check the “trueness” or “squareness” of your rectangle simply take a measurement from corner to corner…then take another measurement from the opposite corner to corner.  These measurements should be equal to each other for the rectangle to be “true” or “square”.

{Step 2: Cut Swiss Cross from Felt Square}

Using the straight pins, pin the swiss cross template I’ve provided to the navy blue felt.  Use scissors to cut along the the template.  If you have a good/waxy white colored pencil you can draw the outline of the swiss cross onto the blue felt and then cut it out with a pair of scissors.

{Step 3: Roll Hem & Press the Envelope Enclosure}

Flip the navy blue ticking fabric over so that you are seeing the wrong side of the fabric.  Roll the left side over a 1/2 of an inch then roll it again another 1/2 an inch.  Press/steam with a hot iron until flat.

You just created a roll hem…after you stitch the roll hem with your sewing machine (later on in this tutorial) you won’t have any fraying of the fabric.  Use straight pins to pin the roll hems in place until you are ready to sew.  Repeat this exact process for the right side.

{Step 4: Press Sides of Fabric to Make 2 Folds}

Now, we’re still looking at the wrong side of the fabric just like step 3.  Take the left side and fold it over 10 inches.  Press/steam with a hot iron.  Do the same for the right side.  You should have a center square that measures 18 inches across and two sides that measure 10 inches across.  Make sure that the left and right sides properly overlap near the center of the 18 inch square.  This “overlap” is what is called an envelope enclosure.

{Step 5: Center Cross on Front of Pillow & Stitch}

Center your felt swiss cross on the front of the pillow cover and pin in place with a few straight pins.  Take the time to make some measurements and make sure that you have it closely centered.

Using your sewing machine, stitch the felt cross to the front of the pillow removing straight pins as you sew.  Finish with a back stitch so the hem won’t come out.  You’ll want to sew as close to the edge of the felt as you can.  About an 1/8″ from the edge is ideal.

{Step 7: Stitch Envelope Enclosure}

Flip the pillow cover back over to the wrong side.  Using your sewing machine stitch the left and right pressed roll hems from step 3.  Be sure to back stitch at each end to avoid fraying.

{Step 8: Stitch Across the Top & Bottom}

Now, we’re going to flip the pillow cover so that we are looking at the print side of the fabric and the felt cross we just sewed.  Next we’ll take the left side and fold it over at the line we pressed with a hot iron in step 4.  Do the same with the right side.  Make sure that the roll hems that we just sewed are overlapping by an inch.  If there isn’t proper overlap you’ll see the pillow insert pop out on the back side of the pillow.  We’re now creating the envelope on the back side of the pillow where the pillow form will be inserted.

After you have the pillow cover folded, overlapped and checked for 18″ across you want to pin it in place with straight pins along the top and bottom of the pillow.  You will then stitch across the top and bottom with your sewing machine removing straight pins as you sew.  I’ve allowed for a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of each pass to ensure complete closure.

{Step 9: Turn Inside Out & Insert Pillow}

You’re almost done!  Wasn’t that the easiest sewing project ever!?!?  Okay, now you’ll just turn the pillow cover inside out through the envelope we sewed earlier.  You should see the felt cross and the print side of the fabric.

Just insert your pillow insert through the envelope opening on the back.  Voila!  Look how sweet this quick little DIY envelope pillow turned out!  Makes me want to curl up with a good book and a blanket for a few hours of reading!

I hope you’re inspired to sew this envelope pillow cover for yourself.  Once you do this once or twice you’ll see how easy it to quickly make your own pillow covers inexpensively.  I’ve been sewing them for years and I could probably pump one out every 30 minutes like a sweat shop!

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