letters from coco: An accidental discovery

Ok let me just start off by saying this is probably not the best way to do this but I tried it and it worked. And it was super easy. So if you can do it the right way go for it. But if you can't sew and want something quick and easy here is the tutorial for you.

I changed the whole color scheme of my house so I needed to get new throw pillows for the couch and bed but really didn't have the money to spend on new ones. So I decided to buy some fabric and make my own cases to cover the old pillows. The only thing was my sewing machine broke. AGAIN. Sewing machine #2 bites the dust and keep in mind I've only been sewing for a couple of months. So enter the spur of the moment decision to get out the hot glue gun and yes hot glue throw pillows. I know it sounds insane. But understand I was so frustrated with sewing machines failing me that it was my last resort and it actually worked!

So here is what I did...

1. Whatever size pillow you have you'll want to add an inch on all sides. So for my 18" x 18" pillows I cut 19" x 19" of fabric for the front piece of the pillow. For the back of the pillow you will need the same width but add 4" to the length. After you've cut out these measurements take the long piece and cut it in 1/2.

2.Take the longer piece that you just cut in 1/2 and fold one of the sides about a quarter of an inch and iron it down. Then lift up the fold and hot glue it down and iron in it flat again. This hems the envelope piece that is going to be the back of the pillow. Do this with the other half too.

3. Then you'll lay the two pieces that you just hemmed on top of the front piece. Make sure the pretty sides are touching. So the folds that you just hemmed should be on top facing you. Then you just hot glue the outside edges of the pillow together but DO NOT hot glue the the middle part that you just hemmed. That's where you are going to flip the cover inside out and insert the pillow.

4. Then once you've glued all the edges, iron them down again and cut the very very edges of the pillow slightly. Then turn it inside out and insert your pillow and your done. You can embellish your pillows if you want. But here are my finished pillows.