Hello friends! Here to figure out how to get those perfect throw pillows for your home? Great! That’s exactly what you’ll learn! As a designer I find that the details really create a cohesive, intentional space. Without all the little details it’s just a room with some furniture in it…BORING!! More, in this case, means more!
One of my favorite accessories to add to a room are throw pillows. They’re a pop of fabric that add color, pattern, and softness in a room. Whenever you see a room that feels sparse or cold look around and see how much fabric is in the room… any curtains? Pillows? Rugs? Is there a balance of warm and cool hues? Wait what?? Balance hue what?? YES!
Everyone’s into the cooler colors right now but adding some warmer tones (creams, tans, reds, oranges, browns) can get your room to that perfect balance designers create! How do we add this balance easily? Why, the reason you’re here silly! Throw pillows!! This way we can balance our color palette AND add fabric to soften our space…LET’S GO!!
Picking the Right Fabric…
Okay, we’re going to balance your room with those perfect throw pillows…but where to start?? Okay, don’t freak out, I’m here remember? First we’re going to find a fabric we like. Well maybe stronger than like, more like LOVE! Get excited about this! Go on a search for a fabric that speaks to you, where you see it and think “YES”! Then take a picture of the fabric and a picture of the room it’s going to live in. Now, put the pictures next to each other and ask these three questions..
Is this the best color for your space?
Does the pattern work with your style?
How does the texture work for your lifestyle?
Is it a boho style, macrame, pillow but the room is super masculine and modern? If yes, maybe go with another texture… you want the fabric to look like it belongs with the other pieces in the room but it can still make a statement. If there’s no pattern in your room this is a perfect opportunity to add some with your throw pillows! Also, if you’re really longing for a pop of color in your space “throw” it in! Get it?! So again, look at those pictures next to each other and make sure the texture, color, and pattern look good in the room.
Design Tip: Remember to find a fabric that goes with your lifestyle. If you have kids maybe a velvet or a woven cotton is better (to wash out all the smudges). If you like a natural vibe a linen might be nice. Either way, be honest with yourself about how you live, and maybe pass up that persnickety silk for a more user friendly fabric…
My Favorites…
Here are some fabrics that I LOVE and you might love too!
Etsy – Grey Geometric Fabric 
Etsy – Yellow Brocade Fabric 
Etsy – White Textured Fabric 
Etsy – Black Mud Cloth 
Etsy – Navy Chenille Fabric
Design Tip: If you’re creating pillows for a couch I like to remember “3:2”, three pillows on one side and two on the other. That means you may need to pick three different fabrics that work well together. Need help with pattern matching? No problem!! Check out my blog that will help you navigate the ins and outs of putting together patterns/colors/etc. For me, I like to do two color, two pattern, and one texture. So on either side of the couch I have a large pillow with color, a medium pillow with pattern, and a smaller pillow that’s texture. You can switch these around however you want, i.e. two pattern, two texture, one color. Have fun with it!!
Measuring Fabric…
Okay, let’s say you found that perfect fabric, or fabrics, good for you! Now you’re going to need to figure out the size you want for each pillow. Let’s say you want two larger pillows for your couch, let’s go with 24″x24″. Great! Now you need to order enough fabric to make two, 24″x24″, pillows. How do you calculate all this stuff?? Am I back in math class?? Ugh… I was way better at History. That’s why I have a cheat for you!
Here’s a website with a fabric calculator that does the math for you! You just put in the length and width you want the pillow, how many pillows you want, and the length of fabric (I put 36″ which is a yard). Voila!!! So using this handy dandy calculator I know that I need about 3 yards of fabric to make two, 24″x24″, pillows. YES!
Put It All Together…
Fabric’s chosen, math’s done, now we need to learn how to actually sew the thing… I usually learn better from watching someone explain something to me, so I included this amazing video that will show you how to whip up a pillow in no time! You’ll need a sewing machine, thread, and a pillow insert.
Design Tip: From my experience I find down inserts are the best and I buy my insert a size up from what the sham is to make sure that the pillow looks properly stuffed. (ie if you have a 24″x24″ pillow sham you get an 26″x26″ down insert)
Bravo! You Did It!
That’s it!! You’re done!!! Now all you have to do is sit back, relax, and take all the pictures to show your friends that you nailed this DIY thingy and created a designer-esque space!
Design Tip: If all this is too much for you, because ugh you just hate sewing (I totally get it), then contact a local upholsterer and hire this job out baby! Give them the fabric and the insert (they normally up-charge their inserts so save a little cash by providing your own). Let them know the size and amount of pillows you want and let them do all the work while you still claim all the credit! I love when that happens….
Want more DIY ideas?! Click here for some of my favorite Designer DIY’s!
