Tutorial: How to Make a Patchwork Pillow

A long overdue tutorial!  I say this because I had planned on doing this a good six months ago when I made my first patchwork pillow.  Thankfully, I still had all the materials in my stash, most of which are simply leftovers from previous projects.

This pillow can be sewn even by beginners and will take only an hour or two to whip up.  Interested?  Let's get to it then!

How to make a Patchwork Pillow

Finished pillow size: 16 3/4" square
Seam allowance: 3/8" throughout

Requirements:

18  - 5" by 5" quilting cotton squares in assorted prints
approximately 18" (H) by 25" (W) plain cotton fabric (I used natural linen)
polyester filling
sewing essentials such as thread, needle, sewing machine, ruler, marker, pins, etc.
basic sewing skills

Procedure:

1.  Cut plain cotton fabric in the following manner:
     4 pieces - 2 3/4" (H) by 13 1/2" (W) for top and bottom edges of pillow
     4 pieces - 17 1/2" (H) by 2 3/4" (W) for right and left sides of pillow

2.  Position nine squares into 3 rows of 3 squares each row until desired layout is achieved.

3.  Assemble top row by stitching the squares right sides together.  Press the seams down to the right.

4.  Stitch the middle and bottom rows in the same way.  Press the seams down in alternating directions.

5.  Stitch rows right sides together along the long sides to complete the 3 by 3 patchwork square.  Be sure that all seamlines are aligned.  Press the horizontal seams open.

6.  With right sides together, sew top and bottom strips to patchwork square.  Press top seam upward and bottom seam downward.

7.  With right sides together, sew right and left strips to the patchwork square.  Press right seam to the right and left seam to the left.

8.  Repeat steps 2 to 7 for the other side of the pillow using the remaining squares and strips.

9.  With right sides together, sew front and back of pillow all around but leave a 3" opening in the bottom for turning.  Clip corners.

10.  Turn pillowcase right side out, pushing corners out well.  Stuff firmly with polyester filling.

11.  Slipstitch the opening closed.

There you have it, you're all done! Easy, wasn't it?  Enjoy your new, one-of-a-kind patchwork pillow!

Hope you all found the tutorial helpful.  Have fun sewing!

PS.  I will make a PDF version of this tutorial available shortly. DONE! Download it here.