Baby Blankets to Throw Pillows

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Baby Blankets to Throw Pillows

Baby Linen Pillows

Before all of the Covid-19 madness began, our family planned on purchasing a larger home this summer. But since our state is on lock-down, you can't close on a house while furloughed (which Husby is) and we want to avoid moving during a school year - moving this summer might not be able to happen. However, I am using this time at home to clean, organize, pack and complete as many projects as possible! I have no idea when we will be able to move, but I do know that we will be ready 😉

While cleaning a closet I came across a pile of baby bedding that I intended to 'one day' make into throw pillows. May as well cross another item of the list, right?

Here is how easy it is to upcycle old linens into home decor:

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Supplies

For this project I used a crib bedding skirt and two baby blankets that I saved from my children's younger years, pillow forms (not pictured) and my Singer machine - though you could certainly stitch by hand if you wanted.

You can find a similar Singer machine here.

I love these Sterilite plastic drawer organizers for organizing my sewing supplies.

Linen Close-Up

I hung on to these particular pieces of bedding for their texture, detail and coloring. I always knew that I would eventually use them for pillows, and kept that in mind when choosing materials that would go well together.

Pillow Forms

I've also been stashing away pillow forms. I found two in the box with the linens, then four more in storage with my household linens (oops)! I only need four, but apparently forgot how many I had on hand 😂

You can find various pillow forms online and in stores. If you find them at the thrift store (as I have) make sure to bleach wash in hot water and then machine dry on the hottest setting to ensure sanitation.

Step 1

I decided to keep things as simple as possible by laying a blanket on the floor (finished side of the blanket facing up), placing a pillow form on top and then wrapping the blanket around the form. Once I had the pillow form positioned the way that I liked it I pinned the blanket where I wanted to stitch, and removed the pillow form, creating a pillow case of fabric.

*Make sure that your ready to sew pillow case is inside out. Once you are done sewing most of the perimeter, you will be flipping it right side out. This will hide your seams and present the prettiest side of the fabric outward.

Sewing

I ran the sides of my pillow case through the machine first, then trimmed off the excess fabric. Next I stitched the top partway - beginning at the side of the pillow and moving inward - leaving an opening in the middle. Once done I flipped the pillow right side out, using the opening.

Add the Pillow Form

Stuff the pillow form into the newly made pillow case using the opening that was left, then carefully hand stitch is closed and...

...your pillow is complete!

I repeated the same process with the rest of my fabric, using the decorative trims and lace to add detail.
And that's how easy it is to transform your children's old linens into fresh and pretty throw pillows!

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to sewing post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer