How to Make a Decorative Throw Pillow

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Throw pillows are versatile décor items. You can put them on a couch, chair, bed or even a bench seat as a functional accent. If your indoor or outdoor décor could use a refresh, try making your own throw pillow. They're very easy to make, so they're perfect for new sewers looking for a beginner-level project. Although we made a pillow as part of our RV Renovation Series, you can use the techniques we'll show you in the video to make a pillow you can put anywhere!

Video Chapters:

Intro — 0:00 min.
Cutting Fabric Plates — 0:43 min.
Sewing Plates — 1:39 min.
Inserting Pillow Form — 5:19 min.
Closing Pillow With Invisible Stitch — 7:05 min.
Materials & Tools List — 12:38 min.

Materials List:

Upholstery fabric of choice
Tex 70 Silver UV Bonded Polyester Thread 4 oz. (#106138)
Indoor/Outdoor Rectangle Pillow Insert 12" x 18" (#122145)

Tools List:

Tape Measure 120" (#102986)
Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" (#102400)
Chalk Pencil Cartridge Set (#121669)
Comfort Grip Rotary Cutter 60mm (#9655)
Sailrite^® Self Healing Double-Sided Cutting Mat 24" x 36"
Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat 24" x 36" (#120257)
Forked Magic Pins 1-3/4" (30 pack) (#122801)
Sailrite^® Ultrafeed^® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine (#311602)
Deluxe 5-1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide (#103597)
Wonder Clips Assorted Colors (50 pack) (#121902)
Multiuse Pins 1-1/2" (250 pack) (#102985)
Assorted Curved Hand Sewing Needles (4 pack) (#100100)
Calculator, Pencil

When we said this project was easy, we meant it. All you'll need is a pillow form, your fabric of choice, your sewing machine, and a few other tools and notions. Best of all, this project takes less than two hours to make! It’s one of the easiest pillow DIYs there is because it doesn’t have a zipper, fringe or piping — that’s part of what makes it such a quick project.

This easy throw pillow video will show you how to cut and sew fabric plates, insert the pillow form and use an invisible stitch to close the pillow. You’ll also learn how to taper the corners of your pillow cover to avoid “dog ears” in the fabric and achieve a snugger fit for the pillow.

Before you start sewing, we want to share a helpful tip: Make sure your materials match where you want to put your finished throw pillow. For example, if you want to make a pillow for your patio, double-check that you have an outdoor pillow form and indoor/outdoor upholstery fabric. An indoor-only pillow form and fabric would be ruined by the weather. Double-checking your materials before you start a project is a great way to ensure that you don’t have to get more materials and redo your hard work later on.

Eager to get started? Watch the video to learn how to make a throw pillow.

How did your pillow turn out? Tag us on social media (#Sailrite) and share pictures of your finished throw pillow. We love seeing what our talented customers make!

And don't forget — this project is part of a series of renovations we're doing to a 1987 Airstream Argosy RV. We're redoing this RV inside and out, and we've already made a ton of progress. If you want to view more projects in our RV Renovation Series, click here!