How To Make A Pillow With Glue

You guys know I have never been able to master my sewing machine. And not for lack of trying. (Okay, fine, I didn't try very hard and pretty much gave up at the first sign of difficulty.) But, since I know I'm not alone in this struggle, I decided to share how I make most of my pillows...without a sewing machine. 

It's a beautiful thing.

A little while ago, I came across some fabric glue called Unique Stitch and decided to give it a try, figuring nothing could be worse than fumbling around with a bobbin for an hour.

And as it turns out, this stuff is great. I've tried fabric glue before, but it never delivered and usually left me wanting my $5 back. This stuff is different. It totally delivered. You can even wash your pillow covers after using this stuff on them, and it still holds strong. It takes a little longer to dry than some of the other fabric glues, but the end result is much better. You can find Unique Stitch at most craft stores or online here (amazon affiliate link).

I ended up making a bunch of different pillows, some for the guest bedroom I'll share next week, and some for the living room. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

Cost me about $3 a pillow.

One million dollars saved.

So, here's a quick pillow tutorial.

You need fabric. I was able to get 2 pillows out of 1 yard of fabric, so buy accordingly.

You also need scissors and of course, the fabric glue.

To make an envelope pillow, you need to cut 3 pieces of fabric. I cut one 20x20 inch piece and two 20x15 inch pieces.

The two 20x15 inch panels combine to make the backside of the pillow, overlapping slightly in the center, with an opening in the center (where the green arrows are) that the pillow goes into. 

Here's a diagram to show you how it works.

To assemble your pillow, place the two 20x15 panels on top of the 20x20, matching up the numbers in the diagram. 
The black arrows show you where to glue the fabric to attach the panels to one another. 
I chose to run a strip of glue along the edge on the two 20x15 panels where the green arrows are and fold the fabric over so that they look finished and so that I didn't have any raw edges of my fabric showing. Also, since you are assembling this pillow inside out, lay the fabric with the print facing inward.

When the pillow is assembled, the two 20x15 panels end up where the pillow opens in the back, slightly overlapping.  This is what the back of your pillow will look like. 

(It functions just like a standard sham pillowcase, and you can remove it to wash it.)

Once you've glued your pillow cover together, allow it to dry overnight. Once it's dry, you can turn your pillow cover right-side-out and stuff your pillow in the opening. I like to use down alternative pillow inserts because they fill the covers out really nicely.

And that's all there is to it!
Thanks for being here!
'Til next time,

Want more? For more budget decorating ideas, check out my top 50 here.