• Blog
  • About
  • Shop Our Instagram
  • Weekly Newsletter
  • Contact
  • HOUSE + HOME
    • All House + Home
    • Mudroom
    • Kitchen
    • Dining Room
    • Living Room
    • Bedroom
    • Kids Bedrooms
    • Family and Playroom
    • Office
    • Outdoor Living
    • Woodworking
  • LIFE + STYLE
    • All Life + Style
    • Entertaining
      • Tablescapes
      • Birthday Parties
    • Seasons
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Holidays
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Easter
      • Thanksgiving
      • Halloween
      • Christmas
  • FOOD + DRINK
    • All Food + Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Seasonal
      • Easter Recipes
      • Fall Recipes
      • Halloween Recipes
      • Christmas Recipes
  • Shop
    • Our Home
      • Kitchen
      • Living and Dining Room
      • Powder Room
      • Zoe’s Bedroom
      • Ella’s Nursery
      • Family Room and Playroom
      • Outdoor Living
    • Window Shades
    • Paint Colors
    • Nick’s Workshop

Nick + Alicia

Lifestyle

February 17, 2016 | by Alicia

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover

This post was sponsored by Tonic Living. All opinions are my own, we only work with companies we love and trust.

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful

Last week I revealed our completely refreshed living room and dining room (and our newly painted kitchen), and we received so many sweet and thoughtful comments, I was (and still am) completely overwhelmed. I am always so touched by this wonderful and supportive community we are so lucky to be a part of.

Of all the sweet comments and questions about our space, our new pillows were definitely the most talked about.

Creating a space that is welcoming and comfortable is always at the forefront of my mind when I am designing a room, especially a room that is meant for relaxing and entertaining, like our living room. I want our family and friends to feel like they could curl up on our couch and sink into a bunch of soft pillows for a cozy afternoon nap or to enjoy family movie night.

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful

So, it was important to me to find just the right pillows. I had two specific requirements of our new pillows. First, they needed to be family-friendly, that meant comfortable, sturdy and easy to clean, and secondly, they had to look beautiful too. They had to work for our family and appeal to our modern farmhouse aesthetic.

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful

I knew I wasn’t going to find what I was looking for in a big box store, so I turned to my favorite fabric store, Tonic Living. If you pop on over to their site, you’ll see why they are my favorite. They carry the most exquisite designer fabrics, I truly could spend hours browsing through each one, and they also offer pre-made pillows and custom orders too. It gets even better, if you’re from Ontario, Tonic Living offers FREE shipping on orders over $50 (if your postal code begins with L, M or N). And don’t despair my American friends, Tonic Living ships worldwide, and you can even shop in USD on their site.

I finally settled on two subtle and neutral fabrics that I knew would look beautiful in our living room – Beach Buffalo Check in Moonstone Grey and Ashton Herringbone in Natural. As usual, I am drawn to soft, neutral colors (I have even dedicated a post to How to Decorate with Neutrals). I think they really help to cultivate a soothing and inviting space, and I love that they can be easily paired with pops of color depending on the season or holiday.

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful

I know a lot of people shy away from incorporating neutrals into their home because they feel they are difficult to keep clean. I can promise you this isn’t always the case. Our house is busy – with a one-year-old and three pets, our home sees its share of messes. I knew these pillows wouldn’t be exempt from the spills and stains that come with kids and pets, so removable pillow covers were a must.

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful

Being able to slip off a pillow cover and toss it in the wash or spot treat it will save you a lot of frustration down the road.

This was my first time sewing a zippered pillow cover, and I can truthfully say it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I first thought it might be. So if you are intimidated by this tutorial, don’t be!

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover

This tutorial is based on a 20 x 20 pillow

Supplies:

  • Pillow insert
  • Upholstery fabric
  • Thread (coordinating)
  • Zipper
  • Sewing machine (regular foot and zipper foot)
  • Pins
  • Scissors
  • Seam ripper
  • Measuring tape
  • Iron

Instructions:

  1. Start by measuring your pillow insert from seam to seam. If your fabric has a print or pattern, be sure to carefully plan where the fabric will fit onto the pillow and cut accordingly. A little trick I have learned along the way is to cut my fabric to the exact size as my pillow insert (in this case 20 x 20), this will allow for a nice snug fit.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  2. Place the fabric together, with the finished sides facing in and pin in place.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  3. Sew a basting stitch (this is the longest stitch you can set on your sewing machine) along the bottom of your pillow, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. A basting stitch will hold your fabric in place while you sew on the zipper, and will be easy to remove once the pillow is complete. Once you are finished be sure to change the stitch length back to 2.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  4. Lay the zipper along the seam and mark where the zipper begins and ends.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  5. Sew a few stitches where you just marked the beginning and end of the zipper, and remember to back stitch to reinforce your zipper.
    How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  6. Open your fabric face down and iron the seam you just made to help it lay flat.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow_Step_6
  7. Lay the zipper face down along the seam and pin in place.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  8. Attach the zipper foot to the sewing machine.
  9. Now it’s time to sew your zipper in place. Start on the right side of the zipper and begin sewing along the zipper, remember to use a backstitch to anchor the zipper in place. Sew all four sides of the zipper.How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  10. Carefully remove the basting stitch with the seam ripper (make sure you are only cutting through the basting seam and not the zipper while you are doing this).How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover - A Burst of Beautiful
  11. Unzip the zipper about half way and place the fabric together again (finished sides facing in) and pin in place.
  12. Sew the remaining three sides of the pillow.
  13. Turn the fabric inside out and iron.
  14. Finally, insert the pillow form into your pillow cover.

It really was an easy sewing project, and the more pillow covers I made the easier it became. Next week I’ll be sharing a closer look at the beautiful pillow, The Porter, from Tonic Living you’ll have a chance to enter an exciting Tonic Living giveaway!

How to Sew a Zippered Pillow Cover

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

  • Easy Sew Pillows and Nursery Sneak Peek
  • Learn how to build a rustic DIY farmhouse bench with this simple plan | A Burst of Beautiful
    DIY Farmhouse Bench
  • An assortment of grey and white pillows create a soft and inviting atmosphere in this modern farmhouse living room | A Burst of Beautiful
    My Favorite Pillow + Giveaway

Comments

  1. Amanda Katherine says

    February 17, 2016 at 10:05 pm

    I love the plaid print! Tonic Living is also my favorite for pillows.

    amandakatherine.com

    Reply
    • Alicia says

      February 18, 2016 at 1:32 pm

      Aren’t they the best Amanda?!

      Reply
  2. Shawnna says

    February 18, 2016 at 6:32 am

    hey girl love the pillows!

    Reply
    • Alicia says

      February 18, 2016 at 1:32 pm

      Thank you Shawnna, aren’t they beautiful!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A place to find design inspiration, entertaining ideas and simple recipes. Take a few minutes to learn more about us, shop our favourite things and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

We're welcoming February with a round-up of our fa We're welcoming February with a round-up of our favourite pieces to refresh your home for spring (swipe to see what made the top of our list). We know it's still quite a few weeks away, but that doesn't mean you can't embrace the shifting of seasons a little early. 😉Follow our shop @nick.and.alicia on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get our exclusive app-only content! https://liketk.it/3xbcz
Decorating our girls' bedrooms for Christmas is on Decorating our girls' bedrooms for Christmas is one of our favourite holiday traditions. It's always exciting to bring out all of their holiday decor and look through the pieces they may have forgotten about over the year.They look forward to decorating their own miniature trees with the special ornaments they've collected and adding a few festive touches, like this DIY wooden house and bottle brush trees. Swipe through to see all of the details...Follow our shop @nick.and.alicia on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get our exclusive app-only content! https://liketk.it/3tYAr
This week we're sharing a glimpse into our home al This week we're sharing a glimpse into our home all dressed up for the season. It feels cozy, inviting, and classic, and we can't wait to share it with you! ⁣ ⁣ Follow our shop @nick.and.alicia on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!⁣ https://liketk.it/3tVpl
We're sharing our favourite holiday wrapping essen We're sharing our favourite holiday wrapping essentials on the blog today. And while I've got everything I need to create beautiful gifts for under the tree, I still need to finish our Christmas shopping. 😳⁣ ⁣ Have you started your holiday shopping yet? ⁣ ⁣ Follow our shop @nick.and.alicia on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get our exclusive app-only content!⁣ http://liketk.it/3sWRM⁣ ⁣ #
We decorated our front porch this week just before We decorated our front porch this week just before the first snow of the season. ❄ Cedar and pine garland, a fresh pine wreath, and a prelit faux tree create a simple and festive look to welcome guests into our home this season. ⁣ ⁣ Yesterday we shared our favourite ways to decorate with holiday greenery on our blog, nickandalicia.com. Visit the link in our profile to read the post and follow our shop @nick.and.alicia on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!⁣ ⁣ http://liketk.it/3sFs4
Alright, I know it's early, but it's true...the go Alright, I know it's early, but it's true...the good stuff always sells out so quickly! So today we are sharing the holiday decor essentials we're stocking up on!Tip: Order your greenery now because it's usually the first to go! 🌲Follow our shop @nick.and.alicia on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get our exclusive app-only content! #liketkit #LTKGiftGuide #LTKHoliday #LTKhome@shop.ltk http://liketk.it/3pMcr
Am I the only one that feels like our home is neve Am I the only one that feels like our home is never really finished, even after a big renovation? 🙋🏻‍♀️We shared our finished renovation a few months ago but we knew there would still be additions to make in the weeks and months ahead. I've added a few new pieces of decor and we installed a custom roman shade, but the biggest change we made was replacing our kitchen appliances. It's a big investment, but one that is worth it.We partnered with our friends at @frigidairecanada to update our existing appliances and today we are sharing all about it, from why we chose @frigidairecanada appliances again to the favourite features we're swooning over.

Join our Newsletter

Copyright ©2022 Nick + Alicia
  • Contact
  • POLICIES + DISCLOSURE