If you were to ask my mother or my grade-school home economics teacher that I was able to make a hand-sewn throw pillow cover from scratch, they wouldn’t believe you.
I was never the crafty type. My home ec projects were often finished by my mom (now it can be said). I suffer from hyperhidrosis, which has given me wet, clammy and shaky hands more times in my life than I’d like, so any fabric or paper projects often go to sh*t. This is also the reason why I’ve seldom done any crafts or paper projects in my work, or life, in general…with the exception of my daughter’s first hobbit-themed birthday a decade ago.
But, as the old adage goes, “never say never.” Thanks to a few simple and not-so-clever fabric-selecting tricks, I was able to create an easy throw pillow cover.
Without a sewing machine.
With basic (but life-saving) sewing skills.
So here is my attempt. Judgers and condescending sewing experts not welcome LOL.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning I receive commissions for purchases made through those links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Preparing for Project Throw Pillow Cover
The reason I embarked on this project was an assignment my mother-in-law had given me some two years ago. Before she left for abroad, she handed a few yards of ethnic woven fabrics with me that had been given to her as a gift. “Look for a mananahi (seamstress) and have them turn this into throw pillow covers or something,” she had told me.
Well…work, life, and ADHD happened, and the fabrics are still here, snug and safely tucked away in a cabinet.
Despite having contacts with upholsterers and drapery makers for my work, it seems silly to have to ask them to make two pillow covers out of a sliver of fabric I had (that’s probably the ADHD talking). So I figured, how hard can it be to make this myself?
Without a sewing machine?
With basic (but life-saving) sewing skills?
So off I went to YouTube and TikTok to get inspired. I watched a lot of videos, interspersed of course with deep-dives into SNL’s past episodes and a whole lot of TikTok nonsense. But these two videos, thankfully, stood out.
Jann Newton let me know in her calm, steady manner that yes, my basic sewing skills could save my life and allow me to make a throw pillow cover. I thought at first, okay, I’ll need to get a zipper and practice stitching it onto my fabric. I was kind of feeling overwhelmed at this point, because I knew with my shaky hands I wouldn’t be able to get that zipper sewn in straight.
Then I saw this video from sewberry:
Yes, of course. ENVELOPE COVERS. What a genius.
So in my head, I planned to combine Jann Newton and sewberry’s techniques to make my own, Gal at Home-friendly, hand-sewn throw pillow cover.
Selecting the fabric for my hand-sewn throw pillow cover
Now I knew I needed something that would survive my clammy hands. The trouble with hyperhidrosis is it dirties fabrics and threads quite easily. I didn’t want to trial out my new sewing plan on my mother-in-law’s fabrics, so I wanted to sew first on fabrics I could use at home.
I knew I needed fabric that wasn’t light-colored, has a pattern that could help hide dirt or sweat marks, and could be easily washed.
I also figured, I should get something a bit stretchy. I knew that my shaky hands wouldn’t get the measurements right, so I wanted a fabric that would easily “snap back” and conform immediately to the form of my pillow insert.
As if by some twist of fate, Fabric Warehouse contacted me via email to ask if they could collaborate. I looked through their website and my search led me to their collection of stretch jersey fabrics. It came in a lot of patterns, and I was initially drawn to the African prints. The product description for the fabric said:
ITY knit fabrics are a polyester spandex jersey that is popularly used for garments, crafts, drapery, and more. This popular style of blended fabric can bring dimension and texture to any outfit or craft. Often, you’ll find it used to create gorgeous drapes or ruffles. It’s polyester content also makes it suitable for all types of custom printed dye sublimation projects. So, if you are looking for an incredibly versatile fabric to stock up on, ITY stretch fabric is a great option. Currently, ITY fabric is available in both solid colors as well as a number of luxurious printed designs.
Eventually I narrowed down my choices to either the navy blue or red Ella Fabric. I figured I could use these throw pillows in either the living room or our bedroom. As I wanted the pillows to contrast against all our blue bed linen, I finally went for the red print.
While Fabric Warehouse personally handled my order for me, I looked through their website and figured ordering would be easy as they seem to have a Shopify portal. This meant anyone ordering could use PayPal, credit or debit cards, or GPay. Of course, being in the Philippines, I had to pay a slightly pricey shipping fee, but it was delivered sooner than I expected.
I didn’t realize 10 yards of fabric would be a LOT, so I told myself, if I could successfully hand-sew a throw pillow cover, then I could probably hand-sew ANYTHING. At least I had lots of fabric to use!
How to make a hand-sewn throw pillow cover: A step-by-step guide
We’re now ready to get sewing!
Prepare everything you’ll need for this quick afternoon. And by “quick” I mean it took me up to three episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines on Netflix while I completed my first hand-sewn throw pillow cover.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Your fabric, of course. As my throw pillow insert was 16″ x 16″, I needed a little over 1 yard to start. Use the size of your pillow insert, multiply it by 2, then add a few inches for allowance, or by about half a foot.
So if you have a 16″ x 16″ throw pillow insert like me, your formula for calculating how much fabric you’ll need would be:
(16″ x 2) + 6″ = 38″
One yard is equivalent to 36″, so I cut out 1 yard + 2″ of fabric for my pillow cover. For the short side of my fabric, I just added an inch for allowance.
- Needle
- Thread. I used white thread for this project, but common sense is telling me I should have used red so it would have been less visible.
- Sewing pins
- A pair of scissors for cutting of course. Use sharp ones for clean edges.
- A thimble if you’ve sweaty hands like me (optional, but saves your fingers especially when sewing through thick folded parts.)
1. Fold and iron down the short edges of your fabric.
These are the edges that will be visible in your finished pillow, so you want them to look neat and tidy.
→ Why? Folding the edges twice hides the raw edges of your fabric, preventing fraying and giving your pillow a cleaner, more finished look.
Each fold was about ¾ inch thick. Once folded, I ironed them down to keep them flat. Made them a hundred times easier to pin and sew later.
2. Pin the folds in place.
This helps your fabric stay put while you sew. No wonky seams here.
→ Why? Fabric shifts when you sew. Pinning keeps everything neat and aligned, especially if you’re just eyeballing your stitches like I was.
3. Sew along the folded seams.
I used a simple running stitch — literally the most basic stitch you can do (perfect for beginners!). I went along each folded edge twice for extra security.
→ Why? Doing two rounds of stitches on each side reinforces your seams so they won’t unravel easily, especially since pillow covers get tugged and pulled a lot.
4. Lay your fabric right-side up and fold to create the envelope.
Place your fabric with the pretty side (right side) facing you. Then fold one end towards the middle, slightly off-center.
Fold the other end to overlap it.
→ Why? This overlap will create your pillow’s “envelope” opening, where you’ll insert your pillow later. Keeping it off-center makes it look more intentional and avoids having the opening smack in the middle.
An important point though: Make sure that once you have your square, see if it fits your throw pillow insert by placing it on top. Making it too loose is also not a good look, so ensure that the insert will be snug and tight inside the case or cover.
5. Pin the sides and sew them shut.
With your folds in place, pin the two open sides of your pillow cover. Then sew along both sides, about ½ inch away from the edge of your fabric. Again, I used running stitch, going back and forth three times per side for good measure.
→ Why? Triple stitching gives you peace of mind that your cover won’t burst at the seams the minute you squeeze in your pillow insert.
6. Turn your pillow cover inside out.
Flip your pillow cover so that all the seams are hidden inside. Give it a little shake and smooth out the corners.
→ Why? Because this is the magic moment when your flat piece of fabric officially transforms into a legit pillow cover.
Insert your pillow... and admire your work!
Ta-da! You’ve just hand-sewn your own throw pillow cover. Or rather, I’ve just hand-sewn my own throw pillow.
I’d like to think our cat approves of my handiwork. It’s not only functional but also carries the energy of a quiet afternoon spent making something with my hands (and maybe laughing at Netflix in the background).
Of course, because I don’t know when to leave well enough alone, I decided—very last minute—to add white pom poms to the edges. Were they necessary? Absolutely not. Did I want them anyway? Absolutely yes.
Now, proper sewing people will tell you to attach these before sewing your seams shut. But in classic Gal at Home fashion (where we eyeball things first and Google the “right way” later), I just went for it, armed with a needle, some thread, a few pins, and pure stubborn determination.
Needless to say, this little detour cost me another full episode of When Life Gives You Tangerines. I would say it was worth it!
If you want to do it the right way, you can check out this TikTok video.
What's next for this non-crafter?
Now that I’ve somehow figured out how to make a hand-sewn throw pillow cover from scratch (with just my needle, thread, and a whole lot of let’s-see-how-this-goes energy), I’m already eyeing the next project.
I still have a lot of that red printed fabric left, so I’m definitely making another pillow cover soon. Maybe even for the living room this time.
Part of me is also this close to trying my hand at sewing drapes. Or maybe a throw blanket to match? (Though I’ve read those usually need liner fabrics… which I know absolutely nothing about.)
If you have any suggestions on what kind of liner fabrics I should look for—or other easy sewing projects I could try using the same fabric—feel free to drop them in the comments! I’m all ears (and apparently, all needles and thread now too).
And if you want to find out when I next get bitten by the DIY bug (because who knows when that will be), you can subscribe to my email newsletter below. That way, you’ll get all my future experiments, wins, fails, and other stories straight to your inbox.
All photos from Gal at Home Design Studio. For full transparency and clarity, please note that this content was created with the use of AI. You can view our full AI Use disclosure here.