Making Envelope Pillow Covers 101 with Mary of SewMaryMac

July 10, 2023 1 Comment

Hi Raspberry Creek Friends!! Mary of the SewMaryMac blog here! I ‘m so excited to share with you a simple and easy way to make  an envelope pillow cover!

One of the easiest ways to freshen up a room is to update the pillows.  The easiest AND most cost effective way to update your pillows is to make new covers!  

There are  thousands of fabric designs available in the Design Studio  so it’s  easy to find something for everyone's style and  taste.  Perhaps the hardest thing about this little project is selecting your fabric because of all the amazing choices!

Let’s talk about selecting your fabric first.  My first suggestion is to use the search function or the filters available.  This helps narrow down your search.  Using the “Style” dropdown or “Color” can really help.

I wanted new pillows for my bedroom just for a little refresh.  My entire house is decorated in a very Northeastern Coastal style.  I didn’t want a tropical, beachy or nautical design.  A very common motif in Northeast coastal homes is Jacobean florals, so that is what I entered into the search.  I was so excited with the choices I got from that search.  I knew immediately that the Jacobean Floral from Sarah Thorpe Designs would be perfect in my bedroom!  You can find that fabric here.

Once I selected by design, I needed to decide on the size of the motif.  I adjusted the scale just 1.5” smaller.  I wanted to see enough of the floral on each pillow.  If you decide to change the scale, be sure to hit “SET”, otherwise your fabric will print at the default scale.  

Next up, fabric!  My personal favorite fabric for pillow covers is the Brussels Washer Linen.  Once sewn up, it really gives the pillows a very high end designer look.  If you are sewing pillows for a family room couch or a porch bench, you  might want something a tad studier.  The canvas would be a great choice for those areas.  Keep in mind that neither of these fabrics are pure white.  If you must have pure white, the French Terry also sews up into pillow covers nicely as well.  

When my fabric arrived, I was so excited!  It was even better than I imagined.  I loved it so much, I ordered 9 yards for new kitchen curtains!  (Hopefully you’ll see those posted in the Facebook Group sooner than later!)  

Once you’ve done the hardest part~ selecting your design and fabric you can move on to the easy part~ sewing up some pillow covers!  I’ve found the fastest and easiest pillow covers to  make are envelope back.  They can be removed so easily for cleaning or switching out covers.

One of the tips I learned from a decorator friend is to always make your pillow covers smaller than your pillow insert.  For instance, since I am using a 20” feather-fil insert, I will be making my finished pillow cover 18” X 18”.  When the pillow cover is smaller than your pillow insert you get a nice snug fit and full corners.  If you are using a pillow insert that is very stiff (like some that come with your couch when you purchase it) you may want to make your cover just an inch smaller.

Cutting Fabric Pieces

To make an envelope pillow you will need 3 pieces of fabric.  One front and 2 back pieces(to form the envelope back).  The measurements below are for an 18” pillow cover.

For the front, cut one square 19” X 19”.  This includes a ½” seam allowance on all sides.

For the back, each piece will be the same width as the front (19”).  For the length, each piece will be ½ the length of the front piece plus 4” for the overlap(or envelope part).

19 divided by 2 = 9 ½” 

9 ½ + 4 = 13.5

 Cut 2 back pieces 19” X 13.5”

Construction

• Begin with the 2 back pieces by finishing one 19” edge on each.
• Fold ⅜” once and press.  Fold over ⅜” again  and sew in place.
• Place front right side up..
• Place lower back piece on top of front right sides together.
• Place upper back piece on top with right sides together.
• The hemmed edges of the back pieces will be towards the center of the cover.
• Pin/clip around all 4 sides.
• Sew with a ½” seam.
• Serge all edges to prevent fraying. *
• Turn right side out and insert your pillow!

If your pillow cover isn’t quite as snug as you’d like, simply turn inside out and take a slightly bigger seam on each side.

If your corners aren’t quite full enough, another decorator tip I learned was to stuff a tiny wad of polyfil into the corner.

Now that you’ve made one set, you can make new pillow covers for all the different seasons and not have to worry about where to store extra pillows!

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!! 

Mary Anne :)

If you’d like to read more about my sewing adventures I would love for you to visit my blog, Sew Mary Mac.  You  can also follow me  on Instagram  @sewmarymac to see all of my makes. If Facebook is your thing, you can check out the Sew Mary Mac page.

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