How to Make Easy Pillows out of Fabric Remnants 5 ways

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I was de-cluttering the closets a few weeks ago, taking out the winter things, and getting rid of stuff that we no longer want and found myself with quite a few pieces of clothes.  I usually donate them but sometimes, if I see something that I really like I keep it and re-purpose it into pillows.  Because really pillows can be made out of almost any fabric. Today I’ll be sharing 5 ways on how to make easy pillows out of fabric remnants.​

Up till now I had these pretty pillows in the living room.  They were made with fabric I had on hand and made out of necessity since our pup was going through growing pains a few months ago and tore all the pillows up to bits. Once he got over his pillow frenzy I was able to make these.  

They were fine for the fall but recently I got a new rug which is all blue and grey.  Well these festive fall pillows just stood out like a sore thumb.  That is what prompted me to make new pillow covers.  I chose to go all neutral with touches of blue this time.  I like the versatility of these colors and also since my theme will be metallics for the tree they should be fine. 

Let’s take a closer look at my “new” pillows!

The one that was up-cycled from an old sheet​

Well basically the title of this one says it all.  The sheet was sateen and it wore out in the center, resulting in a tear.  I really like this neutral pattern so I up-cycled it into this pillow which can really be used all year long. Very neutral and very soft too.​

The one that was once a lace dress with a lining underneath​

This one was made from a very pretty dress which had fabric lining underneath the lace.​

The problem here was that the lace fabric was larger than the white fabric underneath.  I placed it over the pillow and pulled the excess lace. I then sewed it across like a pipe.​

​From there it was easy to lay it flat.  It is like the pleats of a shirt on the back.​

You can see the pleat in the center of the pillow.  It was actually very simple to make, once I cut away the top of the dress and just used the skirt, making sure to remove any of the seams that are used for pleating the skirt. 

The one up-cycled from a sweater​

This was my son’s sweater.  It was beautiful but it was too tight on him.  You know I just grabbed it and cut it up in no time flat.  ​I had also made this sweater pillow a while back.​

I had this left over yarn from a recent gnome project and from last year’s blanket project. The colors are perfect! Gotta use up every last thing in this house.  I already have too many craft supplies!

​I created the decoration to look like a Christmas ribbon. I just sewed one end of the yarn and wrapped it around the pillow five times then sewed the other end.  This can also be done with fabric glue. I then repeated the process for the vertical portion.​

The one made from another sheet​

This blue sheet was not worn out.  Instead it suffered the dreaded pink syndrome.  You know  when you mistakenly put a piece of red clothing in the washer along with lighter colors and you end up with pink or in this case bright red on the other fabrics.  No matter, I saved the day with this cute and very simple pillow. In fact I’ve got enough fabric left over for another one.​

​The tassels were made with the same yarn I used on the sweater pillow. Just using all of that yarn up!

The one made from a tea towel​

This is an antique tea towel.  It was hand made on a loom in Greece a lifetime ago.  And as pretty as it may be it was just hiding away in the drawer.  I liked the unique look of it but it wasn’t large enough to cover the pillow I had.  I needed to come up with a hack!​

​I looked through my stash of remnants and found this piece of linen. Notice the “pink”  on the lower right side?  Another victim of the dreaded red clothing that goes haywire in the wash.   

I had used a bit of this when making my fall wreath. 

The best part of it is that it frays nicely and gives the pillow a nice look.​

I folded the tea towel like you see below.  The edges with the intricate work were folded over and the frayed piece of linen was sewn half an inch below the fringe on both ends. Finally I sewed the top and bottom of the cover.​

​This is how it looks on one side, very boho looking with the fringed ends.​

And this is the other side, a very simple check design.​

I am always looking for ways to reuse old clothes.  I find the fabrics and textures so much fun to work with.

This bunch may not look like much but I have decided to let them be subtle because the rug is taking center stage in my living room.  And soon enough it will have to compete with the Christmas decorations.  Sometimes simple is best!​

​You never know what an old piece of clothing will end up as!  I hope this post has helped you to see how to make easy pillows out of fabric remnants 5 ways. It really is super easy and if you get bored with the look there are always other clothes out there you can re-purpose to make more. 

Which one is your favorite?

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