trellis bandana pillow

Did you know Hobby Lobby sells really cute bandanas? They sell traditional bandanas in all colors of the rainbow, but they also sell different patterns as well. I'm sure it varies by store, but at the closest Hobby Lobby to me, I found beautiful ikat, trellis, greek key, and paisley designs. Each bandana is 99 cents, so it is easy to make a darling bandana craft on the cheap.

Ever since we painted the piano, I have been looking to change up the colors in our living room. I am on the hunt for the perfect rug, but it is a hard search. Thankfully, throw pillows are a lot cheaper, and when I saw the turquoise trellis bandanas at HL, I immediately knew they were destined to be a pillow at our house.

Because I knew this pillow would be getting lots of wear and tear, I wanted to be able to wash it. I decided to make a removable cover and a pillow form so that the pillow wouldn't get all lumpy. So, first I made the pillow form. 

The bandanas are kind-of an odd size--20.5 by 21.25 inches. I decided to simplify my life and make the pillow form 20 inches square, and then sew the pillow cover a quarter of an inch bigger all around so that it would fit over easily.

 I always buy any plain white sheets I find at Goodwill when they're the half-off color of the week. That way you can whip up a pillow form, a mummy costume, or anything else you need right away. I cut a strip 21 inches wide by 40.5 inches long and folded it in half.

 Then I sewed up one side and around the corner, stopping about 1/3 of the way in and backstitching. I flipped the form over and repeated that process, so I ended up with only a small hole for stuffing.

 Then I flipped the pillow form inside out and stuffed it nice and full, so it would be a comfy pillow. When we bought our couch, it came with 4 fake-suede pillows, but since our couch is leather, they slide right off. I took the stuffing out of all but one pillow and saved it for a rainy day. So I didn't have to buy any stuffing to make my pillow form.

 Once I had it as fluffy as I wanted, I pinned the opening and stitched it shut right on the machine. It kind of got away from me on one end, but it will be covered up, and no stuffing can escape, so all is well. It is harder than I thought to sew a pillow closed on a machine!

When my pillow form was finished, I grabbed my two bandanas and set to work. I had already washed my bandanas, so I took a second to iron them (it's always easier to work with pressed fabric) and then laid them out, ready to go.

 The bandanas are already hemmed, so it makes it so much easier to work with them!

 I set aside my front bandana, then measured my back bandana and cut it in half. I wanted this to be an envelope-style pillow so it would be easy to take the form in and out for washing.

 After I cut the back piece, I switched the pieces around so the hemmed edges were in the middle and the cut edges were on the outside of the pillow.

 the raw edge

 The overlapping finished edges

 Then I pinned the pillow all the way around. Sewing the pillow this way made it so I didn't have to hem anything and the raw edges are hidden.

 Once I got it sewn, I decided I wanted to ensure the pillow would stay closed with some velcro. It probably would have been easier to sew the velcro on first...okay, definitely easier...but it was a last minute decision. So, I pinned the velcro on...

 ...and sewed it down.

 The visible underside is not too gorgeous, but it will do. And I'm amazed at how well the pattern lined up!

 The finished back side

 Ta-da! A gorgeous bandana pillow that is almost the exact color of our piano. I am so pleased with how this little project turned out. And the whole thing--from starting the pillow form to putting the finished product on the couch--took about 2 hours. Easy peasy. It was also incredibly cheap--$2 for the bandanas, free batting, and maybe 25 cents for the sheet. So, for $2.25, I got a beautiful, washable pillow. A LOT cheaper than $30 from etsy!

Hank had a "test rest" and he deemed it more than acceptable. Everyone loves this cozy pillow, especially me. Now I just need to find a new rug--after I have a little snooze on my pillow.