DIY Porch Pillow Cover - North Country Nest

Are porch pillows called something different or are they still considered a throw pillow even though they’re outside?

Whether it’s a throw pillow or a porch pillow, the problem was the same – our newly painted rocking chairs needed some color.

The two-step plan is to recover some pillows I found at the thrift store and make chair covers from scratch (that should be fun).

I decided to take the easy road and recover the pillows first, mainly because I knew what I was doing – for the most part – and I knew it could be a very quick project.

First, the pillows. I found these babies at The Other Thrift Store in Saint Francis. I have never really been sold on the idea of buying pillows at a thrift store. However, these didn’t smell, the white parts were still white and they seemed to be in great condition. I immediately gave them a run through the washer when I got home and they’re good as new!

I found the fabric at the fabric store mecca down in Brooklyn Park, also known as Harris Fabrics. Close your eyes and image floor to ceiling shelving stuffed to the brim with every imaginable fabric pattern and type and then imagine that it’s all at least 50 percent off. Yep, that’s what I walked into.

Was it overwhelming? Absolutely. Luckily I went with an old pro (thanks mom) who knew exactly what she was doing. We found two different fabrics for the rocking chairs and a few more patterns for some future projects. I swear to you, we could have stayed in that store for the entire day and I definitely could have spent a small fortune there. If you live in Minnesota and have any need for fabric, I highly recommend you hop on over to Harris. Quick tip if you’re going on the weekend – get there early. We left at 11:30 and it was starting to get busy. The aisles are small and the carts are big and bulky – it’s much easier when there are less people.

The actual making of the pillow covers was very simple. This is coming from the girl who just jumped into the world of sewing. I may or may not have done a few things here and there when I was a kid, but nothing too serious.

About a month ago I caved and bought a brand new sewing machine, with hopes and dreams of making my own curtains and table runners and tote bags. The sewing machine is so easy to use and I cannot wait to try out all the buttons and settings, but for now we’re sticking with the basic stitch and easy projects like pillow covers.

Now for the covers. First thing first, wash the fabric. If you’re anything like me and have a tendency to shrink anything that goes near a washing machine, then you probably want to pre-shrink the fabric before you measure it out for the pillow.

Next step? Measure the fabric around the pillow and cut. Side note: cutting is the most nerve wracking part. You can’t take it back, so if you mess up, too bad for you. I am also completely incompetent at cutting anything remotely resembling a straight line, so that doesn’t help with the whole nerves thing.

Anyways, after cutting the fabric, fold it inside out and pin along the edges. Sew three sides of the fabric; the two longer sides and one short side.

I then stuffed the pillow back inside the case and pinned where the last seam should go.